Star-crossed--What we must-want to protect
by YumenoJigen
Summary: OC insert in canon story. Though we wish for peace, why is there war? Though we wish to be together, why are we apart? Bound by our responsibilities, unable to let go of our dreams and desires, is there a way for us to truly connect? Can a path be uncovered through the meetings and separations of those 3 childhood friends embroiled in war and love?
1. False paradise

**Author's note:**** OC insert and canon story. All characters and settings from the Gundam Seed franchise are to be credited back to their rightful owners. No, I'm not one of them (unfortunately). As it is a FANfiction, by definitition I write it only for my and the readers' pleasure and I don't get a single cent from it. But I do claim maternity on my original ideas and characters. I'm sure you'll be able to recognize them on your own. I also want to specify that for some chapters the few phrases at the end are more or less heavily inspired or taken from the show 'Soukyuu no Fafner - Dead Aggressor'**

**I was first attacked by this show's plot bunnies ten years ago but only started writing it last year :3 First written for quizilla but I altered it a little to better fit as we can't post character profiles here. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.**

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**Phase-01: False Paradise**

"...The refugee camps in South Africa have been suffering from chronic lack of food and aid items, putting the lives of 1, 2 million people at risk." – "We'll now bring you images from the Kaohsiung front where heavy fighting is taking place. According to information just received, the ZAFT forces have approached to within six kilometres of Kaohsiung. ...".

... Or so the news was playing on a laptop. But here in the space colony of Heliopolis, things were as peaceful as always. Well, it was a neutral colony run by the neutral Orb Union after all. That was only to be expected. It was a sunny day, fitting for the City of the Sun. The weather was quite warm despite the fact it was January 25th. People went about their own business, shopping, strolling in the streets, playing around, resting or playing in the parks... or doing their assigned work in a gazebo. A green robotic bird perched itself onto the laptop where a boy with dark brown hair was compiling data using a notepad as reference. He was dressed in light green pants, and a black shirt with a long white collar and a traditional Japanese feel to it with the separated sleeves and the seem on the right side, and modernized by the buckled red straps linking his sleeves, ornating his chest like Chinese clothing, as well as his pants right below his knees. A black choker was around his neck. The mechanic bird cutely tilted its head, uttering a 'torii'.

"Kira!"

The boy lifted his purple eyes to see his friends Tolle Koenig and Miriallia Haw. Tolle had curly brown hair, soft eyes like mint cream, and a nice face with a jovial expression and character. His simple shirt was the same color as his eyes with its sleeved slightly rolled up, under was a blue tee-shirt and he wore plain jeans. Miriallia (Milly) had short hazel hair that curved outward at the bottom and cerulean blue eyes, a cute face and a sweet, kind and mature personality... although she was a terrible cook, and more independent and strong-willed than she appeared. Her turtle neck, knee length dress was of a zesty orange. Her long sleeves were also separated from the dress and showing her shoulders. Her bodice from her chest down was a light yellow and had front tails.

"So that's where you were! The professor has been looking for you. Huh? Seren's not with you?"

Suddenly, a brown robotic flying squirrel popped up on the fence at Kira's side and then jumped and stuck itself against Tolle's face, almost covering it completely. With difficulty, the student managed to detach the limpet-like object. He approached, leant forward, and saw a girl with reddish chestnut brown hair that fell down to her shoulders, sitting on the grass, her back to the gazebo. She was wearing a short sleeved teal tunic, opened at the shoulders and whose hem rose up at the sides, an asymmetric peach-yellow jacket that fell lower on the right hip and the left side was enhanced by two to three long creases. Her cropped pants stopping just below her knees were of the same color as her jacket but of a lighter shade. At her feet were teal ankle-high boots decorated by a buckled strap. They had four centimeters light wood-like heels. And at her neck was hanging a stone of a coral hue held and fastened by a brown leather string. She also had a laptop on her lap. A number of windows were open: a chess game, a shogi game, pictures of experiments, scientific data on natural and genetic modifications of plants... as well as her work for Morgenroete Incorporated.

"Ah, there she is too!"

"Tche, I've been found out." She cursed, her hazel eyes still fixed on her laptop. "It's all because of you Chacha!" She angrily waved a fist at her squirrel that was now flying in circles before her, as if taunting her before landing on Milly's shoulder. The amused short-haired girl petted him affectionately.

"But still I can't believe you can do this much."

"I am a woman. Of course I can multitask. My opponents aren't very good this time so it's fine." Although she kept quiet about the all-nighter she had pulled to get most of her work for the Morgenroete done and only leave the finishing touch for today. She might kind of like to hear their nagging that she should take better care of herself and not concentrate so much on something that she'd forget to eat or sleep... (because nagging means caring) but much more than that, she really disliked unduly worrying them. It was not like an all-nighter or two or three or four or five would kill her after all. Well, she did have some unhealthy habits, but that was fine, really. She preferred by far when they were smiling and having fun.

"Yes, yes, yes..."

"Come on, professor Kato ordered us to bring you two over once we found you."

Kira and Seren whined. It was natural for them to help the professor but the boy had not finished the previous assignment that had been given to him and the girl had hoped she could finally work on her hobby. Nonetheless, she shut her computer and stood up. The others smiled. She might complain or grumble, but in the end she always helped and took extra good care of them. She was the type whose actions were more revealing of her true self than her words. Well, that was only when people asked things of her... And to hide how much she really cared. Usually she was quite frank and friendly, yet without meaning to, she had a tendency to secrecy and cold distance, and her dry wit had vexed more than one person in the past.

She wanted to help better mankind yes, but that didn't mean she'd pour her heart to just anyone and everyone. She took little trouble to cultivate acquaintances that did not appeal to her (and with those she could be quite cold, merciless, uncaring and scornfully, caustically ironic and cynical) and did not truly give herself easily... perhaps because her instinct and judgment of human nature was too good for that. And since she was so fiercely independent, she disliked interference by others, however helpfully intended, and would only accept it on her own terms. And while she was habitually a calm and moderate person, simmering anger and resentment might cause blunt harshness or worse, a tense, threatening silence which might suddenly burst out in eruptions of extreme temper. Because of that she didn't have many friends.

But when she judged someone worth it she became a tenacious friend faithful for life and ready to sacrifice anything for her comrades. She upheld sincerity and truth more than anything. Well, she wasn't so naïve that she'd expect anything like that of people in general, but when it came to people she would consider as close friends or family, lying or pretending was not something she could easily forgive or accept. In this war-torn world, to be able trust and be trusted to such an extent was an irreplaceable treasure. She was liked for her strength and depth of character and her open, genial, humane, persevering and sometimes cute, tsundere-like personality... But her intelligent, logical, clear and quick mind, her all too sharp intuition that bordered on clairvoyance tended to scare people, or at least make them a bit wary and sometimes bitter. Although her appearance made for a nice bonus...: deep, rich, warm, lustrous, reddish chestnut brown hair, an attractive, well-proportioned, physically fit body, a charming face with regular features, smooth lightly tanned skin with a healthy glow, a piquant smile, and witty hazel eyes that could look at her chosen people with disarming honesty and discernment.

The news on Kira's laptop was still playing about Kaohsiung. At Tolle's request, he enlarged the window to full screen dimensions. Behind the journalist in his bulletproof vest, ZAFT Mobile Suits were devastating the city. If this was from last week, then Kaohsiung had probably already fallen... Milly was worried because Kaohsiung was pretty close from here, but her boyfriend reassured her.

"You shouldn't worry about that. Even though they're close by, we're a neutral entity. There's no chance Orb would become a battlefield."

"Really? It's okay if that's the case."

The war... as they saw Torii and Chacha flying together, Kira and Seren were reminded of another day three years ago... it was on the moon, in Copernicus City where they had been attending a preparatory school for years. And it was also where they had met. Or more exactly, she and Kira had met in the shuttle that had taken them from Orb to the moon. And on the moon they had befriended a boy, who was like them, a boy with dark blue hair down to his neck and kind emerald green eyes. He was really kind, smart, reliable, but a bit quiet and reserved, and awkward too, sometimes. And he hated war. His father had called him back to PLANT, and on an alley bordered by blooming cherry trees, he had come to say his goodbyes and give them parting gifts...

"There really won't be a war... between the PLANTs and Earth." He had handed Kira the green bird and Seren the flying squirrel. "I don't think there's any point in evacuating but... eventually you'll also be coming to PLANT, right, Kira, Seren?"

Tolle snapped the two from their daydream, scaring them, and they left together.

Outside the colony, a ship from the Earth Alliance entered the port. The captain took his hat off and let it float away. With that, this ship's last mission had been completed without a hitch. He thanked Lieutenant Flaga for having safely escorted the ship here.

"No, we're lucky that nothing happened en route." The handsome blonde-haired, blue eyed, 28-year-old mobile armor pilot answered politely with a smile. "Any activity on ZAFT ships in this area?"

They were tracking two, but even if they entered the port, they couldn't do anything.

"A neutral nation, right? What a joke."

"But thanks to that, the plan has been able to proceed this far." The captain laughed indeed. The fact is that Orb is a part of Earth." Then crew members saluted and left. Mu La Flaga asked if it was really alright for these people only to disembark but they were the top guns who had been chosen to be the G pilots. There was no problem. It was better for people like him to go home instead of pacing around attracting attention.

Behind an asteroid, two ZAFT ships were observing the colony. And two sub vehicles had left in direction of the colony. The captain Fredrick Ades of the Nazca-class destroyer Vesalius was troubled. He didn't think it would be too late to wait for the answer of the Supreme Council. But the masked Commander Rau le Creuset disagreed. It WOULD be too late, his sixth sense was telling him so. If they let things slip by now, they would eventually have to pay for these actions with their lives... They had to move quickly and seize the Earth Army's new mobile suits before they were transported away from here...

When Tolle, Milly, Kira, and Seren arrived at the free car rental service, they saw popular red haired Flay Allster being teased by her two friends. Since she and Miriallia were friends they greeted each other. The girls (Seren excluded) immediately struck a conversation about how Flay had got a letter from Sai Argyle and wouldn't tell them about it. Kira was shocked. Tolle looked at him and smiled knowingly. Seren turned away, uninterested by the discussion but slightly riled at Kira's reaction. She knew he had always found Flay cute which was true physically. She always dressed and did her hair elegantly with a romantic feel to it. Her front locks were gathered at the back of her head in a high ponytail. Her ultra pink turtle neck knee-length dress had long puffy sleeves, and a knotted ribbon at her left hip. She looked and behaved like a princess in a doll-house. But Seren had never liked her, although she didn't hate her either. There was just something that didn't sit well with her, something that was wrong. But she had no idea what. She had no idea why each time she would stare in Flay's eyes that were the dark bluish gray of a storm cloud she would imagine them distorted with hatred, disgust and rejection. She trusted her instinct though. Someone coughed behind them, politely attracting their attention. It was a woman with short black hair and black sunglasses. She was accompanied by two men.

"If you aren't getting on, may we go first?"

"Ah, sorry, please do." All the youths stepped back to let them pass. The three boarded a white car and drove away, just as Flay got tired of her friends' teasing. The next empty white car stopped, its four doors opening automatically. They got in and drove away too. Tolle teased Kira. A letter from Sai. How unexpected, Flay Allster. But it sounded like a formidable enemy had appeared before Kira Yamato-kun. Milly laughed as Kira vainly tried to deny the implied meaning behind his friend's words. Seren snorted inaudibly. For the same reasons as earlier, she didn't believe Flay was one for him, although that was only her yet baseless personal opinion so she never mentioned it to anyone. Then again, it was obvious from the way she acted as she was not the type to bother trying to hide it. And when asked why, she would only reply an indifferent 'who knows' with a tone clearly expressing how troublesome it would be for her to think about a proper answer that she couldn't really give anyway. They boarded a car too and Kira drove to the Morgenroete Factory where the four of them, and Sai Argyle, and Kuzzey Buskirk worked as robotic engineering students.

"How peaceful it is here..." The young black haired woman took her sunglasses off, revealing her purple eyes. The car was driven by one of her companions who asked what she had meant. "And yet, youths around that age are already being sent to the front lines..."

On the asteroid side of the colony, a group of people landed, six wearing olive green suits and six wearing red suits. Heavy metallic gates opened, revealing a tunnel. The passage was barred with a number of lasers, but they were deactivated. They entered.

Kira, Seren, Tolle and Miriallia arrived at the Morgenroete factory. Kira passed his ID card. Once their identities as students from Professor Kato's seminar class were confirmed in the control room, they were allowed in. Tolle was still teasing him about the letter, saying he was gonna ask Sai if he didn't dare to. And Seren on the other front seat was stubbornly looking away.

They entered a room full of computers and instruments and in the middle was what looked like a robotic cosmonaut suit. Two other friends were already there, Kuzzey Buskirk... and Sai Argyle, who rejoiced that Kira and Seren had – finally – arrived. But there was also someone else. A person with blonde hair that barely reached her shoulders, a hat, and a brown coat. Seren approached the visitor and stared curiously for a moment before going to her desk. That person seemed awfully familiar but for some reason she couldn't remember where she had seen her. It was strange since she usually had quite a good memory. Kuzzey told Tolle that she was the professor's guest, apparently she had been told to wait here. Kira and Seren asked where the said professor was. He had summoned them and he wasn't here?!

At a crossroad, the intruders in green and red suits looked down through a grid and saw a large white ship with some touches of red. After a few sign exchanges, they divided themselves into equal groups and split up. And each fixed a bomb at a strategic place...

Sai handed Kira and Seren their new work, which, as they thought, was boring.

"And where's the professor? Don't tell me he's gone off somewhere while leaving us with all the work, that slave-driving, no-good professor." Seren asked threateningly.

"Now, now, isn't it because he has acknowledged our abilities that he leaves us alone more and more often, especially yours, Seren, Kira." Sai, too, over the time, had grown used to handling the girl.

"Well, that may be... but still!"

Then Tolle engaged Kira in an immobilizing hold, his right forearm against his neck and his left forearm under Kira's left arm.

"More importantly, ask him about the letter!" Tolle 'menaced' his friend. Sai didn't know which letter they were talking about. The purple-eyed boy stammered it was nothing. He didn't have the guts to ask. But Tolle insisted and tightened his grip. And like this they kept bickering until Milly told them to stop as Kira was choking. While they weren't looking, the blonde guest tried to open the door to the professor's office but it was locked. However, she had been seen by a dark brown haired girl. She was more interesting than the usual bickering... with the fact that she was a new head, and she was always curious about new heads... especially since she couldn't help but feel she knew her despite having no memory of it, and the fact that the professor rarely brought that sort of guest, and that this rude guest would try to open the door when she thought no one was looking...

"It's time." Le Creuset declared. The captain Ades ordered to clear all moorings. The Vesalius was taking off! In one of the colony's control room and all Earth Army ships, the alarm rang. Heliopolis contacted the ZAFT ships but there was no response. The chief controller took the device.

"Notice to the approaching ZAFT vessels! Your actions are in violation of a treaty with our nation! Stop your ships at once! ZAFT vessels! Stop your ships at once!" However, there was no answer. Even worse, a powerful electrical interference was coming from the ZAFT vessels! This was clearly an act of hostility! Mobile suits launched from the Laurassia-class and the Nazca-class battleships.

Tension was rising inside the two Earth Alliance vessels hidden within the colony. The captain of the largest one ordered everyone to calm down, and let Heliopolis take care of that. Panicking would be playing in the enemy's hands. They had to continue supplying the ship. He then told the short black haired woman from earlier – and her fellow soldier who had been driving the car – to go get Lieutenant Ramius and commence transfer of the G-weapons. They obeyed and left. The commander of the Vesalius informed his subordinates that they would move in once they had crushed the mine area. Defensive weapons left the colony to attack the Ginns while inside, everyone remained completely oblivious. Flay was shopping with her friends, like many, many others. The robotic engineering students were doing their work, or trying to, because of Tolle's involuntarily messing around, his girlfriend sighing, Kuzzey failing to save him, and the others typing on the computer, supervising things, or laughing.

A woman with medium golden brown hair down to her shoulders, wearing a green cap and an ocre working suit ordered everyone to hurry to the Archangel when suddenly, a series of large explosions took place, many around the large legged white ship. Its captain was killed along with all those in that room. The blast reached those who were in the shaft like the black haired woman. The whole colony shook. Mu La Flaga headed out in his Moebius mobile armor and asked the captain of his own ship to leave too. The port was going to be taken over. The Ginns destroyed the defensive weaponry and some entered Heliopolis.

Standing on a promontory, the intruders who had stealthily infiltrated earlier had seen what they had been looking for: the new mobile suits developed by Orb and the Earth Alliance. They were there, just like Commander Le Creuset had told them. His friend agreed. "If we poke them, they'll come out of their hole." It had really been exactly as their commander had said. Naturals were stupid after all. The Ginns received the coordinates. Miguel Aiman felicitated Yzac for his usual efficiency. And they headed in that direction.

Just outside the space colony, the battle was still raging. But the defenses were overwhelmed by ZAFT's superior skills and weaponry. The only one who could actually put up a fight was La Flaga thanks to his high special awareness resulting in his celebrated proficiency at employing the remotely controlled gunbarrels pods of his orange TS-MA2mod.00 Moebius Zero.

"Lieutenant Ramius! We've lost contact with the ship! Situation's unclear!" Someone said to the brown-haired woman with the green cap. Suddenly, two Ginns attacked the convoy. She got down, avoiding damage, cursed ZAFT, and ordered to prepare the X105, the X216 and the X303 for combat. They had to get them out the factory district! She ran to the factory while the pilots in the ZAFT mobile suits shot down all the military vehicles they could see.

In the shaking factory, the electricity had stopped working time ago. The engineering students opened the door and asked the evacuating personnel what was going on. ZAFT was attacking. Mobile suits had entered the colony! They had to hurry up and evacuate too! The blond guest gasped and started running in the wrong direction, followed by a curious and concerned Seren. That blondie seemed to know things one wouldn't expect her to... Tolle screamed after them. Kira told him they'd be back soon and chased after the girls.

Military jeeps attempted to retaliate but their rockets were evaded and they were shot down too.

"Destroy everything we can't carry." Yzac ordered. "According to the report there should six units. Are the three others still inside?" He wondered.

"Rusty, Luke and I will go. Yzac, you guys take these three."

"Okay, we'll leave it to you. When you board them, immediately disarm the self-destruct first." The twelve landed and instantly engaged the enemy.

Kira grabbed the two runaway girls, and chided the one he didn't know for going the wrong way and the one he knew for not stopping her (and letting her curiosity get the best of her). The blonde girl told them both off for having followed her and that THEY should hurry up and run. Suddenly, there was an explosion behind them, blowing their hair and the guest's hat. The gust died down but the air was thick was smoke and dust.

"A... girl?" Kira muttered, looking surprised at the unknown blonde.

"What did you think I was until now?" She retorted. The boy stammered a little. "Just go! There's something I want to check here first!"

"That's easy to say! To where? We can't exactly go back!" Yamato shot back. The girl glared at him. Because of their indecisiveness, Seren took her by the hand just as her childhood friend took her other hand. They ran down a passage.

"Let go of me, you idiots!"

"Idi-"

"Hey, y-" However, both stopped when they saw her crying.

"To think things would turn out this way... I..."

"Don't worry! We'll be saved!" Kira began.

"There should still be shelters left in the factory district!" Seren added.

Tolle, Mirillia, Sai, Kuzzey, and others left the building to see a Ginn firing. In the factory, the shooting continued. Suddenly a red suit collapsed, dead.

"Luke!" One of his friends yelled in anguish and threw a hand grenade in retaliation, killing his murderer and a few more people.

Kira, Seren, and the girl bolted from the hallway and stopped against the railings. Below them, three grey mobile suits, different from any ZAFT mobile suits, were lying down. And around them, between the containers and the supplying trucks, the battle was taking place. There was an explosion. The blonde girl sank on her knees and started sobbing again.

"I knew it... the Earth Forces' new model of mobile weapons... FATHER, YOU TRAITOR!" She yelled, in intense emotional distress. The noise alerted Lieutenant Ramius of their presence. She aimed at them. Kira and Seren noticed it, took the fallen girl by the wrists and dragged her away. Crying was no good now, they had to run! The older woman shot once but stopped when she remarked they were children. Away on the road, two of the stolen mobile suits rose from their transport trucks. Yzak Joule and Dearka Elsman had finished updating and calibrating the OS. Yzac especially was quite appreciative of his new 'toy'. A few seconds later, the machine controlled by Nicol Amalfi stood up too. Dearka worriedly complained about the lateness of the three others, but Yzac was sure they'd be fine if it was them. In any case, they were heading back now with these three. And while they and one Ginn took flight to return to Commander Le Creuset, Kira, Seren, and the female stranger arrived before a shelter door. They contacted them only to find out it was practically full. It was impossible for three, but if it was only one person it would be alright. And so the two students forced the other in before running toward the 37th shelter. They looked down. The battle was still going on. The woman who had almost shot them told 'Hamana' and 'Brian' to get the units started.

"Behind you!" Two voices warned her. Instinctively, she turned around and shot the man in a green suit, killing him. She was shocked to see it was two of the kids from earlier who had alerted her. Suddenly, her ally at her left was shot down. She leapt, took his place and his weapon and killed his murderer. She yelled at the teens to come but they turned her down. They were going to the shelter in the other block.

"There's nothing but a door there!" And at the youngsters' left, there was an explosion. They had no choice but to come down. "This way!" She ran up the giant robot's leg. The two youngsters jumped down on its chest. Then, another ZAFT soldier in a red suit was shot down. He had been firing from behind a car.

"Rusty!" In a fit of rage, the last red suit of this squad left his hiding place and ran toward the mobile weapon, firing away, killing the one who had killed his comrade. Ramius cried the name of her friend, aimed at his killer, but was shot in the shoulder. Kira and Seren hurried to her. When the enemy noticed his weapon was empty he threw it away and drew his combat knife before lunging at them. Seeing that, the dark brown-haired girl charged at him, ready to protect her friend no matter the cost. After all, it was in fear of that very moment that she had practiced hand to hand combat. But upon recognizing the aggressor despite the helmet he was wearing, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"A...thrun...?" She uttered in complete disbelief, her hazel eyes staring into his shocked emerald ones.

"What?" Kira said, just as incredulous, looking above her shoulder.

"Seren...?! Kira...?!" Athrun exclaimed, also freezing in his tracks, as disbelieving as his childhood friends, the moment of their goodbyes replaying in their minds. Taking advantage of the confusion, Ramius aimed at him again but he backed away before she could shoot. She shoved Kira in the cockpit and was going to do the same with Seren but she stopped her, saying she was going to pilot the last one and protect it.

"Can you really pilot one of those things?!"

"Since I must, I will." Seren replied with utter certainty, going to the last unit.

_How can I leave it to ZAFT if they're just going to cause more destruction like here?!_ And amid the smoke and flames and continuous explosions, Athrun and Seren boarded their units. And in the blazing inferno, the three giants moved and rose, their eyes glowing.

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This was the beginning of our journey. If we can live through this, let's not forget our smiles up to today. Someday, we will return to paradise. We had no doubt about it.


	2. Ignited

**Author's**** note:**** It has been brought to my attention that I needed to clarify a few things. I decided to write 'Miri' as 'Milly' to make it easier for the readers to get the pronunciation right by anglicizing its spelling. So I have no intention to change that. Now I started writing this story using a version of the subbed series which had transliterated 'Yzak' as 'Yzac'. Since it isn't something major, I left it at that and it has kind of become a mechanism. However, I am willing to change it if you want. Please give me your opinion by review or PM and enjoy this second chapter.****  
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**Phase-02: Ignited**

The Earth Army officer told Kira to go behind the seat while she activated the unit she was in. The logo of the Oppose Militancy &amp; Neutralize Invasion enforcers (the military force of the Earth Alliance) appeared on screen, followed by General Unilateral Neuro-link Dispersive Autonomic Maneuver, or, if you only looked at the first letter in a vertical way: GUNDAM, and at last, the power indicator. In the other two units, the same thing was happening. And in the blazing inferno, the three giants moved and rose, their eyes glowing.

In Heliopolis, a level 8 of evacuation had been initiated. Many people were running toward the closest shelters, including Sai, Tolle, Miriallia, and Kuzzey. There was another large explosion right where they were headed, and suddenly, from the smoke, three mobile suits appeared and landed further away, one near a GINN. Its pilot, Athrun, immediately told his ally, Miguel, that Rusty and Luke had failed. One unit was piloted by an Earth army officer but he wasn't sure about the other. He hadn't been able to see well because of the flames and smoke. And while surveying the surroundings, both Kira and Seren noticed their friends desperately running away to take cover. The girl watched them, and the ZAFT soldiers before her. They were two. And they were two here too... There was no guarantee Athrun – if that was really him, and she prayed it was not the case – would simply go back with his own unit. Would he help the GINN so it wouldn't be in the unfavorable situation of two against one, especially since he knew about her, and Kira? Would he choose to close his eyes and try to convince himself the people in these machines were not his childhood friends, that, since he wanted to see them again so much he had mistaken youths resembling them for them? Or would he shirk away from fighting them because they were friends? Would he stay and fight to make sure they were who he was thinking about? And since his mission was certainly to capture the units... Aaargh... DAMN IT!

Seren took the keyboard and started typing with inhuman speed. Damn it all again! Who were they kidding with this OS?! She cursed again, just as the GINN fired at the mobile suit before her, which stumbled. It then attacked with its sword. The suit dodged the first slash by jumping back but the shock made Kira lose his balance and almost fall on the woman. The GINN charged again, just as his pilot ordered the pilot of the stolen unit to take care of the other, meaning her. They should have it easy, against those stupid naturals... The officer pressed a button, the unit changed color and the swing was blocked.

In her own unit, Seren was still typing. The reconfiguration of the O-moment controls and CPG, the connection of the machine's vision directly to the aiming module, the optimization of the neural linkage network, the correction of the deviations, the connection of the movement routines, the update and upgrade of the system, the control and redistribution of the energy, the verifications of the weapons... what were those weapons? Two "Igelstellung" 75mm multi-barrel CIWS guns mounted on the head whose light projectiles were used to intercept missiles and to destroy lightly armored vehicles. Two "Blinkenschlag" whips which could either pierce armor or wound around it to capture it. Oh! The wires could also send electric charges. They were mounted under the forearms. However, it was possible for some pilots to withstand the shock... A pair of folding "Armor Schneider" combat knives were stored in the thighs. They didn't need power from the suit. A pair of beam sabers that could be joined at their pommels in one two bladed weapons were stored in the hips. And last was the Svalinn Shield fixed to its right arm and designed to increase the Blast's defensive capability. Its special coating allowed it to absorb and spread the energy of beam weapons to a certain extent and convert it into power for the unit.

She looked up to see a red mobile suit charging at her. She activated the phase-shift system, shot him with the igelstellung mounted at the sides of her unit's head, and blocked a beam saber with one of her own. Tche... so that guy too would attack in such a place... She punched the enemy but was blocked. However she had anticipated that much, since that guy was the pilot. She knocked him with a kick and took flight. He soon chased after her.

Meanwhile, the Earth forces mobile suit was having great difficulty doing the simplest movements and had only survived the GINN's attacks due to its phase shift armor. And because there were civilians, and especially friends down there who could get crushed by the giants or falling rubble, Kira was forced to intervene and managed to dodge a sword strike aiming at the head before ramming into the enemy, knocking him away. While it was getting up, he took the woman's place as the pilot, and instantly did the same calibration work his female childhood friend had done a few seconds earlier, and with similar – although softer – comments concerning the OS, allowing the OMNI officer to soon realize his true identity. The pilot in the GINN cursed and attacked again. Kira shot at his head with the igelstellung. It did little effect but it was enough to slow him down. The EA mobile suit dodged the slash and punched him away.

In the sky, the battle was still going on. The red unit was trying to shoot her with its energy beam rifle. She managed to skillfully dodge them but without range weapon there was nothing she could do, and even worst, every shot that did not touch her damaged the colony and risked killing or injuring those who had not yet reached a shelter... including her friends...! She charged, full of fear for those she loved and anger for those who would threaten them.

"Stop it! How dare you involve civilians?! How many people do you intend to kill until you're satisfied?! This is a neutral space colony! What's so wrong with wanting to leave peacefully... naturals and coordinators alike?!" Seren yelled, ragingly.

"Seren...? Seren Ashford?!"

"Athrun... Zala?!"

And both remembered, after Athrun had given Kira and Seren their parting gifts, she had come alone to find him. She had blocked his path and looked straight at him before liquid beaded at the corner of her hazel eyes and she had burst into tears. Unlike Kira who had always been a crybaby, it was only the second time she had ever cried before him. The first time had been when she had told him and Kira about how her mother had been killed by Blue Cosmos just a year prior to her coming on the moon. At loss, he had taken her in his arms, and she had hugged him back for dear life. She was scared, scared of the future, scared of what might happen. He had tried to comfort her but without much success. She wanted him to promise that they would always be friends, always... and he had promised. But still, she had been unable to believe him, and as proof, he had given her a kiss on the cheek...

On the ground, the GINN had changed tactics and tried to shoot the white unit down. However, Kira managed to avoid all shells and combat knife in hand, activated the thrusters and lunged.

"In a place like this... stop!" He stopped just before him, ducked, and planted the first knife in the GINN's shoulder joint. Sparks flew. He planted the second one at the new. Sparks showered him again. No response from the hydraulics, port-side movement system halted... the ZAFT mobile suit pilot activated the self-destruct system and ejected. Lieutenant Ramius told Kira to get away quickly but it was too late. The mobile weapon exploded, blowing them away. Luckily, the boy's four friends had managed to hide behind a building so they weren't caught up.

Outside, in space, the ship that had escorted the G-pilots was damaged a ZAFT suit, and, unable to navigate, crashed against the colony and exploded. Mu La Flaga cursed. Was there really nothing to be done about the difference in their forces' abilities?! With the help of his gunbarrels, he avenged the ship he had been on, dismembering the GINN before shooting it down. And thanks to him, the ZAFT Laurasia-class Aurora, also suffered heavy damage. The Captain Ades couldn't believe one their fellow ship Aurora could have been shot down in such a measly battle. But Le Creuset had already sensed the presence of the "somewhat irritating fly still buzzing around". They then received a laser beam communication from Miguel Aiman. It was an emergency. To think he had been forced to abandon his unit... the Commander then asked the captain to relay the order to leave the two last ones as they were. The Aurora retreated, but Rau le Creuset had boarded his own mobile suit and was now engaging Mu in combat. Just like Rau could sense his presence, Mu could sense his.

"So it was really you, Seren... what are you doing, piloting one of those things?!"

"That's my line! What are you doing attacking Heliopolis... attacking Orb?! I thought you hated war, just like us...! If only you guys hadn't come, I would have never gotten into that!" She furiously slashed with her beam saber.

"Stop that!" Athrun blocked with his shield. He disengaged. "You still want to side with those people, with those Naturals who hid such things here while pretending to be neutral?!"

"Like hell! Who said I was siding with those Earth Alliance bastards?! I only got on this thing because I didn't want to die, and I don't want you guys to kill my friends either!"

"Then we don't have to fight each other! We're not enemies! Now lower your saber, and hand this unit. I have orders to bring it back to ZAFT. Come with me!" There was a long silence full of hopeful expectations and conflicts, all the more violent as they were silent...

"...I can't..." The girl's quivering voice declared after a pause.

"What?"

"I can't come with you... And I can't give it to you!" She affirmed again with more determination. "I can't let you guys use it to cause more destruction and suffering like you did today! And whatever you say, I believe in Orb. Some people might have succumbed to pressure from the Earth Alliance... But I still believe in the Orb Union and what it represents! I still believe that Coordinators and Naturals can live in peace! That's why I don't want to fight you guys... and you Athrun least of all!"

"Don't be so naïve! This is war! And you belong with us! Come with me... if you don't... don't force me to shoot you! I already lost my mother in Junius 7...I don't want to lose you too!"

"And I lost mine to the Blue Cosmos! But I have my father, and I have my friends! If fighting Naturals means fighting them too, then you can forget it! I will never join ZAFT against them! Athrun... I will not attack you, but I cannot let you attack us either!" By then both wanted to cry... Each word would leave their mouths like fragmentation bombs, injuring them both, piercing their hearts with icy shrapnel... Their hearts would bleed, scream, writhe, agonize, and still keep going. Marvelling in, longing, craving, and yet resenting the other's presence, all to the point of intolerability... the only one able to hurt them so deeply and the only one who could heal these same gaping wounds were they at their side. And both resented the other for being part of the enemy faction, for preferring to fight than be with them as they should... Then Athrun's green eyes shone with new found determination.

"Seren... I will take you with me even if I have to force you...!" He activated all his beam sabers and attacked. As long as he damaged her mobile suit enough while being careful not damage it too much, he could capture her, and with time, he could convince her!

"Don't steal my lines!" Seren shouted back. As long as she could capture him and she could have enough time to convince him! She let him close in, and at the last second, parried a saber with her own, slid against his shield and turned to be behind him and launched the Blinkenschlag whips. The spikes pierced the armor. In the same time, her knee blades pierced his unit's legs, she sent electricity through the wires of her blinkenshlag and fired her CIWS to damage the red gundam's head. The electricity rippled through his body, contracted by the pain. But due to his training as a soldier he withstood the attack and managed to recover, kick her away, and escape. After all, he was really exceptionally skilled. He had thought for a second that it might have been good to be captured, if it was really her, but then had berated himself. He needed time to reorganize. However, she was not through with him. Taking advantage of her unit's mobility, she did everything she could to keep hold on him, just like she would in a hand to hand combat situation with their own bodies. But of course, it couldn't be so easy. He perfectly reacted to each of her moves as if his body was acting on its own and he shook her off. She pursed him in vain... until it became too foolish and dangerous to continue. And she returned to her friends, taking note to fill in a complaint list with as topmost position: 'don't go making such things in a neutral colony you heartless traitorous bastards!' or something like that. Although nothing serious, her gundam had been damaged too. He had also been careful to avoid the cockpit. Killing that girl was the last thing he wanted. Being forced to retreat like this had left them with a detestable aftertaste in their mouths, and transparent liquid beading at the corner of their eyes.

Corpses and various objects were floating about in the large white ship's shaft. The woman with short black hair woke up to a light bump against the wall. She noticed one of her companions dead and mourned for a few seconds before preoccupying herself with the ship Archangel. The young purple eyed officer entered the smoke, dust, and debris filled control room of the Archangel.

"Is there anyone?" The partly burnt cap of the captain floated into her hands, but otherwise only a heavy silence answered her. She started sobbing, loneliness and despair clutching her as surely as death had gripped all the people in that room. "Damn... Are there any survivors?!" For a time, there was nothing until she heard banging on metal. A young man kicked the plate away, entered, and directed his torchlight at her, and when he recognized her, averted it so she wouldn't be blinded.

"Ensign Badgiruel? Thank goodness you're alright!" It was Chief Petty Officer Arnold Neumann, who had been at her side when they had passed the students in Heliopolis.

The brown haired female officer woke up on a bench. Milly, who had bandaged her with Seren's help, warned Kira and Seren. Kira came... and apologized for having done something irresponsible. Seren brought water and handed it with a strange look in her eyes. She gratefully accepted.

Seren... ever since she had gotten off the mobile suit she had been strange, silent, upset, shaken, and she had been thinking... She'd look at them and smile. For them she had fought and will certainly fight again. They were her precious friends. But Athrun was really precious to her too. And yet... was there really no other choice? If she stopped, she could live without having to fight him. But was it really alright to let things like this, to leave him like this? And then there was Kira. Athrun was precious to them both. Neither of them wanted to fight him, just like he didn't want to fight them. No, they didn't want to fight at all. Then why? She had answered on impulse back then, but after all, they really didn't have a choice. Athrun wouldn't give up. Which was why it was particularly difficult for her to be with Kira. She would look into his eyes, try to speak, and the words would be caught in her throat, she'd feel her eyes moisten too much, and she'd turn away. Because no matter what she'd say, or think, she was the one who really couldn't accept what had happen, that that guy could be their enemy... And she knew only too well how much suffering Kira would be in if she told him and if he had to fight him... since she felt that exact same pain in her heart, as if it was being torn apart...

Anyway, things would certainly only get worse from now on which meant the alert would be raised and they would be unable to go to a shelter. Besides, whatever the reason, they had seen something they shouldn't have. It was unlikely they would be allowed to go just like this.

Wait, this situation... weren't those units being transported somewhere in those trucks? Since they were for the Earth alliance then certainly back to Earth... and for that you'd need a ship. And since they couldn't go to the shelters then they wouldn't have a choice, even if it was battleship. Was this ship still here? Was it fine? But ZAFT was going to be waiting to attack them again... Was it possible for this ship to leave without her and Kira having to fight? Probably not... There was a good chance it was already destroyed. And if it was not, did they have enough supplies? If they didn't they would have no other choice but to go to the closest base. And even then, it would be unwise to expect a smooth trip and a warm welcome... with the gundams – and who knows, maybe even the ship – being a top secret of the Atlantic Federation. And if on top of that, there were Coordinators on board... Naturals were indeed pretty stupid with that much internal strife. That was certainly a good part of the reason why they were so hard pressed... She had heard rumors concerning the state of affairs between the different parties that constituted the Earth Alliance, because even though she lived in a neutral and peaceful country, she hated being caught unprepared and not knowing anything and always looked for whatever information she could about the war outside...

Anyway, it would certainly take a long time before they could leave somewhere really safe. Ultimately, either the moon or the Earth... But it would certainly take a month if things went reasonably well, and there were so many factors that could make it go wrong... and there was no telling how much they would have to fight. Because they couldn't surrender, and they couldn't die... So... there was really no choice but to fight...?

Suddenly, they heard Tolle in the cockpit and Kuzzey standing near, saying this gundam was amazing and wondering if it could move... and Sai yelling at them from the ground not to play around with it. Tolle left the cockpit. Kuzzey asked why it had become grey again, to which his friend answered that it was because the main battery must be off. When the Phase-shift system was activated, the machines changed colors. Seren's unit was dominantly white with a black cockpit and red and gold touches on the cockpit and hips. There was a little black on the shoulders and legs and a little gold on the shoulders too. The top half of the shield was red, its lower half was black, a part in the middle was gold, and its outer edge was white. Kira's mobile suit was mostly white too, with a blue and red cockpit and red feet.

"Get away from that unit!" The officer shot above their heads, scaring them. She stood up and approached. Kira instantly went to stop her. It was they who had carried her while she was unconscious. She aimed at the brown haired boy. "I appreciate the fact that you saved me. But that's a top secret of the army. It's not something that civilians are allowed to meddle with."

"Pointing a gun at us... you sure have a strange way of showing appreciation... And who do you think kept those two remaining top secrets from falling into ZAFT's hands? You shouldn't have put them in a colony of civilians to begin with. You shouldn't have endangered us all!" Seren fiercely glared at the officer, her words echoing those a certain person had said not an hour earlier. It was certainly considered dangerous to act like this against an officer with a gun aimed at her but right now she didn't care about that. But no matter how much she resented it, nothing could be done about what had happened and they had no time for such arguments when they could come back at any moment. And the woman knew it too. Tolle and Kuzzey had gotten down. She gathered everyone together and asked them their names. They all did as asked.

"I am Murrue Ramius. I'm a commissioned officer of the Earth Alliance. My apologies, but things have come to a situation where I can't let you go anymore. Regardless of what happened, you people have seen a top military secret. Until I contact the appropriate authorities to decide your arrangements, you will have to stay with me." The others tried to protest while Seren listened without a word. She had already expected such things to happen. They didn't have a choice. All that was left was to accept it. But even though she did, that did not stop her from innerly burning with an intensely cold fire. As Sai said, it was true they were neutral civilians. And why was the Earth army in Heliopolis anyway? That was why everything had turned this way. The commissioned officer shot in the sky. "Shut up! Kids who don't know anything... saying that it doesn't concern you because you're neutral, you can't really be still thinking like that. A top secret of the earth army is here. And you have all seen it. That is your reality now."

And Seren also agreed with her. As unreasonable as it was, they had no choice but to accept it, at least for now. War WAS unreasonable. And it WAS war, between Earth and the PLANTs, between Coordinators and Naturals, in the world outside their own...

And indeed, outside, war was still going on between Mu La Flaga and Rau Le Creuset. But then, Rau entered Heliopolis. And Mu followed him.

In the Archangel, Arnold Neumann and Natarle Badgiruel were evaluating the situation. The few who had survived were those who had already been on board when the explosion occurred. Most were workers. They didn't know about the ZAFT ships. They already had their hands full just surveying their surroundings. They turned the power on and looked at the damage state. Almost everything was fine, but they still hadn't cleared the debris near the port entrance. It was completely blocked. The ensign tried to contact someone but the communications were still jammed. Then the attack on the port and the ships had been a diversion...? And ZAFT's real target was Morgenroete? She cursed again. What was the situation in the city? And the G? But suddenly, although intermittent, she received a signal...

"This... 105 Strike... Earth Army... respond..."

And another although weaker...

"Respond... 216 Blast... Earth... please..."

On the ground, at Lieutenant Ramius' request (polite order), Kira and Seren had to try and contact the Archangel or any allied ship that could be around at regular intervals, from the GAT-X105 Strike and the GAT-X216 Blast. However, all they could hear was interferences. Meanwhile, Sai and the others had brought the trailers number 5 and 6 as ordered to. Murrue thanked them. Now they had to install the packs on the mobile suits.

Mu La Flaga and Rau Le Creuset were still fighting in the passage leading into the colony. They were quite evenly matched until they disappeared out of each other's view for a few seconds. Their sight blocked by a large shaft. But as soon as they passed it by, the ZAFT officer fired and hit the gunbarrels which exploded, but Mu was skilled enough to escape in time.

In the Archangel, Natarle Badgiruel had taken up the captain's mantle as holder of the highest hierarchical position among the survivors. She wanted to launch the Archangel. And Arnold was arguing that it was impossible with this little personnel.

"While you're talking about it, think about what we should be doing next. Morgenroete might still be under attack! And you're saying that we should just stay here and abandon them?!"

It was then that Jackie Tonomura arrived with Dalida Lolaha Chandra and Romero Pal as the three of them were the only ones who had survived and could operate the Combat Information Center. Badgiruel commanded them to take their seats and follow the computer's instructions, which they did. However, Neumann still did not agree. There were still ZAFT ships outside. They couldn't fight.

"I know! Prepare to fire the specially equipped cannons when the ship launches. Can you do it, Chief Petty Officer?" The strong and strict woman questioned. Neumann-souchou did not reply anything but took his place as the warship's new pilot. "Start launching sequence. Because this is an emergency, process C-30 to L-21 will be omitted. Main power online."

"Output rising, no anomalies. 450 seconds until rated value."

"Too long. What's the situation of the conduit with Heliopolis?"

"They're working!"

"Take the power from here. Conduit online!"

And so the sequence continued. The power was connected to the accumulator, the flow was normal, 20 seconds until rated value. Life support systems starting up, CIC online, weapons system online, FCS contact... and soon all systems were online, the Archangel was ready to launch! All air locks were closed. The crew was told to get ready for concussion damage on the ship's hull during breakthrough.

"Advance at low speed, Archangel, launch!" And the legged ship slowly made its way toward the gate.

On the ground, Kira and Seren found out about the packs used to enhance the Strike's and the Blast's abilities. For the Strike, the weapon and power pack were one and the same, which simplified matters and allowed for a gain of time. He had three allowing for various styles of combat: high mobility (Aile Strike), heavy melee (Sword strike) and heavy assault (Launcher Strike). But it was more complicated for the Blast. It had two mobility packs, one for combat in space (Nova) and another (Storm) for combat in the atmosphere. The Storm pack might also function quite well underwater in exchange for increased energy consumption and strain on the components... and thus a significantly lessened durability. Its optional armaments could be loosely divided into three packs depending on the range.

The Blade Blast from short to mid range clashes added a Midas Messer beam boomerang and the Schwert Gewehr Lanze anti-ship sword. It was a large physical double edged blade that had a laser emitter along the edges. The 15,78 m blade was designed to easily slice mobile suits in half or to cut off sections of a ship. It could be expanded to make a gap from which energy shots could be launched.

The Blast Off pack which was used from mid to long range battle consisted of a 57mm beam rifle, the anti ship sword, a multi-barreled 120mm anti-ship Vulcan gun mounted in the right shoulder armor and a cluster bombs launcher mounted onto the back.

The Blast Away pack for long range/heavy assault also utilised the Vulcan gun and cluster bombs launcher but its primary weapon was a 300mm 'Siegfried' high impulse beam canon which could be combined with the 88mm high energy rifle to make an impulse long range sniper rifle for a precise but very destructive shot. The weapons could be disassembled and reassembled to adapt to the situation.

The Strike was going to don the launcher pack, and the Blast the Nova mobility pack and the Blast Off armament pack. Sai, Milly, and Kuzzey were thinking about the evacuation signal that still hadn't stopped. They were worried about whether their parents had safely reached a shelter and when they would be able to see each other again.

Suddenly, there was a large explosion in the sky, or rather, in the humongous metal tube that held the colony together with the giant cables fixed to it, and a ZAFT mobile suit and an Earth Alliance mobile armor flew into the fake atmosphere. Both noticed the Strike and the Blast. Rau Le Creuset dived to destroy them but was forced to swerve when Mu intercepted him. Ramius-taii yelled at Kira and Seren to hurry and turn the power on. They typed furiously on their keyboards while La Flaga-taii was doing his best to keep the enemy at bay without his gunbarrel pods as they had been previously shot down. When he remarked that he was going to be cut as the ZGMF-515 CGUE swooped down on him, he tried to turn up to shoot him with his linear cannon. But it failed as the ZAFT officer sliced the cannon and continued his descent on the new Earth army mobile weapons. However, the equipment finished fixing just in time and the power in the two suits was turned on. They changed colors and stood up.

"Accelerate to maximum battle velocity once the positron blaster cannons commence firing." Natarle ordered. The Lohengrin cannons fired.

There was another huge explosion in the wall of the colony. And everyone watched with wide eyes as from the flames and the smoke a huge white and red ship sailed into the fake sky.

* * *

When people know everything, they would know when the world ends. They would know the limits of one's strength. They would know that someday, they would awaken from their dream. But for us, we thought we could surpass something like that.


	3. Collapsing land

**Phase-03: Collapsing Land**

There was another huge explosion in the wall of the colony. And everyone watched with wide eyes as from the flames and the smoke a huge white and red ship sailed into the fake sky. The Archangel had left the port area and had entered the colony's interior. Petty officer 2nd class Tonomura informed them that the Morgenroete had suffered heavy damage and the Strike and the Blast had been activated, no, correction, they were in the midst of battle! The CGUE attacked the ship from the front but it evaded. The mobile suit then returned to the gundams and shot. They shielded the humans with their bodies, getting shot instead. And Rau found out to his damn that the Phase Shift armor could even stop his unit's ABSV bullets. Badgiruel-shoui ordered the firing of the stern missiles 7 through 10 with laser guidance. The target was the enemy mobile suit. She told Romero Pal to be careful not to hit the shaft or the ground even if by mistake.

The missiles were launched, and since they were guided, they followed the CGUE. However, due to the pilot's skill, all missed. One was shot and the others crashed against the shaft, resulting in a series of explosions, weakening it significantly. This was not a joke! Seren took her Schwert Gewehr Lanze, expanded the blades, and aimed at the enemy. Kira did the same with his "Agni" 320mm Hyper Impulse Beam Cannon. Lieutenant Ramius was too late to stop him. While it was distracted by the ship, they fired. The CGUE moved away but while Seren's weapon took a leg from the hip downward and made a crater in the wall, Kira not only vaporized an arm but also blew an immense hole in the colony. They both froze in horror.

"Letting a mobile suit possess this much firepower..." Rau Le Creuset retreated through the hole made by the Strike's weapon.

Ensign Badgiruel sighed and gave the order for the ship to land by matching the rotational speed of the colony and minding the gravity.

In the Vesalius, Athrun was going through the calibrating process on the Aegis, but his mind was elsewhere, and memories of Kira and Seren kept flashing though his mind. Their time on the moon, their goodbyes, their promise, when he had seen them in Heliopolis, when he had fought with Seren... What was she doing?! How can she say she still believes in the Naturals after that? She shouldn't be the type to forgive such a thing...! What did she think the Naturals were going to use those mobile suits for if not for causing more destruction too?! She shouldn't be this naive...! Then why? Why wouldn't she join ZAFT? Why wouldn't she join him?! Was it really Kira, after all?

Suddenly he was snapped back when he heard a computer ringing. He apologised. Without meaning to, he had tampered with what the mechanics were doing. But it was okay. They still needed time to repair the machine. Although the damage inflicted had not been extensive, it had still been consequent. Athrun was done too, although he still wondered how the manufacturers could be using that kind of OS. The alarm sounded. He had spent a little time in the sick bay and returned to take care of his mobile suit after a quick recovery. It was then that Le Creuset's CGUE returned. The damage it had sustained was much more serious. All fire fighters and repair squads were to report to deck B. Everyone was shocked by the amount of damage, as they all knew of the pilot's skills. Athrun was as incredulous, but in the same time, he had sustained damage too. If it was those two, it was not impossible...

The TS-MA2mod.00 Moebius Zero, the GAT-X105 Strike and the GAT-X216 Blast landed on the Archangel, with the mobile suits transporting Murrue, Tolle, Sai, Kuzzey and Miriallia. The crew ran to meet them. Obviously, Ramius-taii and Badgiruel-shoui knew each other, and were relieved the other was alright. The lieutenant complimented the ensign on her work on the Archangel. Thanks to her, they had been saved. Kira and Seren left their cockpits and joined everyone.

"Hey, hey, what's going on? Aren't they just kids?" The chief mechanic Kojiro Murdoch voiced the whole crew's surprise. The kids' friends rushed to them to make sure they were fine. It was obvious from Natarle's expression that she would like explanations, but Murrue said nothing and hung her head.

"Well, now that's a surprise." Mu La Flaga arrived, his tone as light hearted as usual. "Earth Alliance's 7th mobile fleet, lieutenant Mu La Flaga. Pleased to meet you." He introduced himself and saluted. And so did Lieutenant Murrue Ramius of the 2nd space division, 5th special training unit... and Ensign Natarle Badgiruel of the same. Since he requested permission to board this ship, he wanted to know who was the officer in charge. Because the captain and all other officers had been killed, Natarle believed Ramius-taii should assume that position. Those who had survived were those who had been on board. She had been lucky because she had been in the shaft. That sure was a troublesome situation. The ship he had been on had also been shot down, which was why he was requesting permission to board, which Ramius granted. Now about those two... they were civilians, as he could see. For some reason, they had been in the factory's vicinity when they had been under attack so she had let them onto the Gs. Their names were Kira Yamato and Seren Ashford and it had been thanks to them that they had been able to fight off a Ginn and a stolen G and protect the two remaining ones.

"They fought off a Ginn and a G piloted by a Coordinator? Those children?" Natarle was as disbelieving as the others.

"I'm here because I escorted the pilots of those. These guys are...?"

"Because the explosion happened when they were greeting the captain in the command booth, they were all..."

"I see..." Mu muttered. Then he approached the teens.

"What is it?" Kira and Seren asked defensively.

"You two... are Coordinators, right?" Because of that one question, murmurs rose in the crew, the two's friends gasped, Murrue lowered her gaze (obviously she already knew about them) and the tension increased. They acquiesced. The guards readied their weapons and Tolle instantly and protectively stepped in front of them, clearly angry.

In the Vesalius, Le Creuset, along with Athrun, Miguel, and other Ginn pilots, were reviewing the feed Athrun and Miguel had brought back from their encounters with the Strike and the Blast. He was grateful, for otherwise he might have become a laughing stock for having had his unit damaged to this extent by the Earth Alliance's mobile suits. They already knew what the original OS was like. But then, why were these two mobile suits alone able to move so well? It was clear they couldn't leave something like that alone. So he was hereby ordering them to capture these units, or, if they couldn't, destroy them along with that ship. There would be no more embarrassment... The soldiers saluted. Miguel and Aurol were to leave immediately. And watching them depart, Athrun asked for permission to launch too.

"You don't have a unit, do you?" Rau told him. "Besides, you've already completed at great risk the important mission of capturing that machine."

The boy protested but in vain. Miguel and the others wanted to regain their honor and it was too dangerous for him to go back so soon. He insisted that he had a score to settle too but was still denied; although after a pause.

"What the heck is that?!" Tolle fumed. And he wasn't the only one. Milly, Sai, and Kuzzey had also stepped up to protect their friends. But after all, Tolle was really the most sincere and protective of them. "Even if they're Coordinators, Kira and Seren aren't the enemy! Didn't you see what had happened back then?! What kind of brains do you guys have?!"

After a few seconds, Murrue told them to put their guns away. They complied. This time, Natarle was more forceful when she demanded explanations.

"It isn't that surprising, right? Because Heliopolis is a neutral colony... it wouldn't be surprising for a few Coordinators to have moved here to avoid the war." Her superior replied gently with a warm and understanding expression. "Am I wrong, Kira-kun, Seren-kun?"

"Well... I'm a 1st generation coordinator so..." The boy replied. To those who didn't understand, Mu explained that both his parents were Naturals... and asked about Seren.

"I'm a 2nd generation Coordinator, and my mother was a Coordinator killed in a Blue Cosmos terrorist attack." She answered bluntly. The armed people threatened her again, and her friends protected her again, and also asking why she hadn't kept quiet about that.

"That's why I'm telling them now. I don't won't them to find out later by someone else. That'd only make them more annoying. Well, the advantage of having parents like mine is that I can see both sides of the problem. Coordinators and Naturals, we're all humans. I have a Natural father I love, I have Natural friends I love, and I also have Kira. I am a Heliopolis civilian, under the neutral Orb. I can't be anything else." She glared insistently at the commissioned officers. A tense silence followed her declaration. Tense, but a little less than before. Lieutenant La Flaga laughed suddenly, saying she had pulled a fast one on them and that it should be alright now. And he also apologized for the fuss he had caused and thanked them for their honesty. He had just wanted to know. Ramius-taii agreed and made the others lower their guns again. The mobile armor pilot had watched quite a few simulations performed by the actual mobile suits pilots but they were having incredible difficulty doing the simplest movements... Mu left. He had landed here because he had been hit. And he didn't think they had the time to hang around here as the forces outside were those of the pretty obstinate Le Creuset...

And indeed, in the Vesialius, the Ginns were equipped with much more destructive weapons than their usual ones... to the point that Yzac and Dearka jokingly wondered whether their commander was planning to storm a fortress.

"But if we do that, Heliopolis will..." Nicol objected, worried about the civilians. His calm and good nature suited his lightly more youthful appearance well. He had wavy green hair and kind brown eyes that looked disapprovingly at his two older and fellow red uniforms.

"They deserve it for declaring themselves neutral." Yzac smiled, playing with his gourd, his straight silver hair down to his chin framing his fair-skinned face and cold and cruel blue eyes. He clearly didn't give a damn about people's lives. At least the Naturals' lives... And Dearka did not seem to mind either. He had a rather unusual appearance with curly blond hair he usually combed back, brown skin, purple eyes, and a rather arrogant, humorous and often sarcastic personality. He shared the same views as Yzac concerning Naturals and always backed him (or almost) when there were quarrels with Nicol and Athrun as they (and especially Yzac) saw the latters as too soft-hearted.

In the Archangel, Romero Pal was arguing with the workers and mechanics. There was no way they could bring water from the Morgenroete! Most teams were busy repairing the Strike, the Blast, and Mu's Moebius zero with the replacement parts and ammunition as top priority.

The Heliopolis students had gathered in one of the cabins, with Kira and Seren sitting and leaning against each other in one of the top bunk beds, sleeping. Their friends were amazed they could sleep in a situation like this. Miriallia sympathized with them however: it couldn't be helped, things had been really hard for them. Of course they would be tired.

""things have been really hard", eh... that maybe be true, but..."

"What are you trying to say, Kuzzey?" Sai retorted, his tone slightly testy.

"Nothing really... I was just wondering if those kinds of things were really hard for Kira and Seren..." The black haired boy answered contemplatively, his arms crossed. "Those two... they said they had rewritten the OS of those things... when was that? I don't think even they would have known anything about it at that time. Then when did they rewrite the OS? I knew Kira and Seren were Coordinators. Those who were born with their genes modified... for those Coordinators... those kinds of things would simply be hard... Everyone in ZAFT is like that... Do you think the Earth Alliance can win a war against people like that?"

They all kept quiet. No matter how much they liked Kira and Seren, they could not deny what Kuzzey was saying either... the unbridgeable gap between Naturals like them and Coordinators like Kira and Seren... and ZAFT.

The three commissioned officers had gathered on the bridge to deliberate. Lieutenant Ramius had received information that the evacuation of the colony was close to completion but because of the earlier incident, the alert level had been raised to 9. That meant that the shelters had been completely locked... and they couldn't just find a place and throw the kids somewhere... so what to do with them?

"They have seen a military secret. That is why Lieutenant Ramius is detaining them. So we can't just release them." The stern, by-the-book ensign gave her opinion.

"So they're coming with us when we break out? But once we'll be out we'll get caught in a huge battle." Mu reminded her that despite everything, these kids were still civilians.

"We'll probably need the power of the Strike and the Blast again." Murrue voiced, although one could detect a slight reluctance.

"Are you saying that we're going to use those in real battle again?"

"If we don't use them, we won't be able to leave, right?" Ramius argued softly. Natarle could not deny it. However, she was still dissatisfied with entrusting their precious machines to civilian children – and especially Coordinators, and thus suggested that Lieutenant La Flaga used one instead. But that was unreasonable, there was no way he could control something like that! She hadn't seen the OS data those kids had rewritten. It was impossible for any normal human to handle that! Badgiruel insisted, maybe by having them return the OS to what it was before. She really didn't want Coordinators, civilian children to operate them.

"So you expect us to become sitting ducks?" La Flaga said again, light-heartedly. And once more, Natarle could not say anything. She was perfectly aware that lowering their own firepower in their already desperate situation would be stupid. "But I wonder if those kids understand that... I'm not sure about the boy, but the girl... I have a feeling that she knows what's going to happen, if not she wouldn't have made that declaration earlier and glared at us like this. She will certainly resent us for that but I think that with a push she will cooperate, at least more willingly than Kira. She has the air of someone who knows what she must do but is still searching for another path, and until then does what she can to delay that moment."

Aurol's unit left the Vesalius, followed by Miguel's... And Athrun in his stolen Earth Alliance unit, although no one had heard anything about it. Angry that Athrun had disobeyed him, captain Ades ordered to call him back, but Le Creuset decided to allow him to go. They had already recovered the data. Things should become interesting on his return. He had already fought one Earth Army mobile suit with the one he had stolen... it would be good to see him fight the other after the changes he had made. And although he did not mention it, he felt Athrun must have a very deep reason to go even if it meant defying orders, and he wanted to know it, since he also sensed that that reason was not just a matter of wounded pride as he had tried to make it seem...

Aboard the Archangel, Chandra reported an increase in density of the neutron-jammers (which disabled all nuclear weapons and engines). It seemed like ZAFT was not going to wait until they came out. As Mu pointed out, the enemy had it easy in Heliopolis, being able to fire all they wanted while the OMNI enforcers could not for fear of destroying the colony.

"I refuse! Please do not involve us in this war anymore!" Kira affirmed vehemently. Lieutenant Ramius had come to try and convince him and Seren to fight again on the gundams. "What you said, may have been true, that the world outside is at war, but we hate that! We hate fighting! That's why we chose to be here in a neutral place! And yet..." The boy hung his head. He was scared, and he was suffering. Suddenly, Ramius was called on the intercom. She was needed to take command on the bridge immediately. Mobile suits were coming! The students gasped. She was the captain... and surprised to hear it. La Flaga explained that even though he was the most experienced lieutenant, he knew nothing about this ship. Murrue understood and accepted the position. She ordered to prepare the ship for take-off. They were now entering battle alert level 1! La Flaga's mobile armor still couldn't be used for combat so she gave him a position in the CIC. Then she turned to the youngsters again.

"As you heard, there's going to be another battle. Because the shelters are now at level 9, I can't allow you to leave here. If we can somehow get through this and escape Heliopolis..."

Miriallia fearfully pressed herself against Tolle who embraced her reassuringly despite the dread he was feeling himself. Kira and Seren clenched their fists.

"You people are despicable." Kira was furious. Furious and helpless against the fate that was being forced upon him. "The only mobile suits on this ship are these two, right? And the only ones who can pilot them are Seren and me! Isn't that what you're saying?!"

Seren heaved a heavy and resigned sigh.

"Lieutenant Ramius, I don't want us to die so I will cooperate." She affirmed. Her childhood friend cried her name. "But I want to be clear. I'm not fighting for you but for them. And were it not for them, I would never fight to begin with." She pointed at her friends. "I'll never side with ZAFT who actually attacked us but I also don't want to side with the Earth Alliance who hid such things here knowing what would happen to us civilians if they were found out. A soldier's duty isn't only to shoot the enemy, it's also to protect us, civilians, right? Then don't put us in danger for your own god damned convenience when it can be avoided!" The girl continued, her voice dripping with venom. "I have things I must protect no matter what, and for that I will stay here and do whatever I must. I promise I will protect the Archangel and its inhabitants, but know that my true loyalty will always lie with Orb." And then she turned to her childhood friend. "Kira, to be honest, it'll be more difficult without you. But you don't have to come. I made my choice now it's up to you. I will... kill people to protect others. I will embrace the pain and the tears and the hatred. So it's fine if you don't come no, I'd prefer if you didn't, for your own sake. It's not necessary for you too to risk your life and bear the burden. So don't worry, I'll be fine even if I am alone." Her mouth was smiling resignedly and her eyes reflected determination... and both fear and strength. Kira's purple eyes widened as she watched her run to the mobile suits.

Ah... she was protecting him again. She was protecting them all, trying to shoulder everything by herself as usual, simply stating the facts, never asking for help... She was smiling... she was acting strong... even though... even though... she was hurting so much, even though she was scared, even though she wanted to cry so much...! Because he had always been the one to cry first, she would always feel the need to hold her own emotions back for his sake, to support him... And he was again forcing her to bear the burden alone...

The ship took off. Evacuating Heliopolis was a priority as well as to avoid further damage to the colony during battle. The Blast was equipped with the Nova Blade Blast... and the Strike with the Sword Striker pack. Seren had been surprised, and also disappointed. She wanted to protect him from the burden they would necessarily have to bear, and from things that would only hurt him more if he knew. She didn't want him to have to fight his best friend like she had done. But maybe, he needed to know the truth. However, just like she could not let Kira risk death out there, he couldn't let her fight alone either. He wanted to protect her too, like she wanted to protect him.

They activated the phase shift armors, hoping that with the packs they had now, things wouldn't go like last time. The Combat Information Center detected incoming heat signatures. The thermal patterns indicated ZGMF-1017 Ginns... and there were equipped with heavy armaments!

In the living quarters, Tolle called his friends, so they could see the battle on the monitor. They hurried to his side. They too wanted to know about Kira and Seren who were fighting, and about what was happening to their home...

Another huge hole was blown in the colony wall from which Ginns entered. Badgiruel ordered the launching of the Strike and the Blast. But then they detected another heat source. It was the GAT-X303 Aegis! They were already using it in an actual battle! However, as Mu pointed out, it was the enemy now. They had no choice but to destroy it if they didn't want to be destroyed themselves! The ensign commanded to prepare to fire the Corintoss anti-aircraft missiles and begin laser targeting when Murrue told her such missiles wouldn't work against units with phase shit armor.

"Main cannons, acquire targeting from lasers! Multiple targets!" The energy beams shot from the cannons, scattering the enemy units that were all unharmed. The Strike launched and was immediately engaged in battle by Miguel who wanted to pay him back. The Ginn fired an energy beam that instead of hitting the strike, melted a hole in a metal shaft larger than a house and whose two thirds fell on the ground. Frustrated, he fired another that blew up a building. Kira looked in horror. He couldn't let those things hit the colony... what should he do?! The Ginn fired again. This time, The Strike stopped the beam with his shield.

"Did I get him?" Miguel wondered, blinded by the light. But then he saw the Strike lunging at him. He barely avoided the slash and fired again at point blank range. Shot that was blocked again.

In the Aegis, Athrun looked at the X216 Blast currently fighting off the two other Ginns and protecting the Archangel. Seren was shooting the missiles launched from the Ginns' legs with the CIWS guns mounted on the Blast's head but was nonetheless unable to stop them all. The CIC reported the damage. But in order to battle the Ginns she privileged close combat to avoid causing more damaged to the colony. She lunged at one, protecting herself with her shield and slashed, ripping the foot of Matthew's mobile suit. Aurol fired his four M66 "Canus" Short-range guided missiles at the ship. They were slow, large anti-fortress missiles. Badgiruel shouted for countermeasures but they wouldn't have the time. Mu ordered to hand the manual targeting control over to him.

"Starboard 40 degrees, full speed!" Ramius-kanchou yelled. The Archangel began its evasive maneuver. All missiles hit the colony, making it tremble to its very core. In the shelters, the refugees were growing more and more anxious. The battle had started again. The alert level rose to 10. An announcement was heard stating that there was a possibility that these shelters may be used as emergency barges.

The Ginn had disengaged from Seren and was shooting at her, but she defended with her shield and shot the small missiles launcher mounted on the leg. They exploded, taking the whole unit with them, but not before it could fire those large missiles. She managed to detonate one before it reached the colony but not the other...

"Matthew! How dare you...!" And Aurol rushed at the Blast to avenge the death of his comrade. That was not what she had wanted. She didn't want to kill. Not even those guys. They were Athrun's comrades. She had wanted to destroy his weapons, not him. But...

Miguel was still struggling with the Strike. The Earth Alliance mobile suit was too fast for him and he was unable to hit it. All his shots fell on Heliopolis, causing a number of explosions. He told Athrun to get around him, which he did. On his screen, Kira recognized the GAT-X303 Aegis... the unit stolen by that ZAFT soldier...

"Is that you, Kira?" The Aegis charged, but the Strike dodged.

"I've got you now!" Miguel bellowed, attacking from below and behind. Kira avoided the beam by flying up, reached for his 'Midas Messer' beam boomerang and hurtled it at the Ginn. The ZAFT mobile suit evaded it but it didn't know that the beam weapon had been a boomerang and got its legs cut off when it returned. Before its pilot could recover, Kira howled and hacked it apart from its left shoulder to its right side. The mobile suit exploded.

"Miguel!" Athrun shouted.

Aurol fired at the Blast that lunged back at him. They swerved at the last second but Seren managed to slice the Ginn's left arm and make a gash in its body as they passed each other by. They turned for another assault when suddenly, the Archangel's cannons fired, destroying the ZAFT mobile weapon... whose parts flew to the shaft, sparking another series of explosions that spread like wildfire through every circuits. Mu and Seren cursed. Murrue Ramius stood up in horror, just like the Heliopolis students who gasped and watched, consternated, powerless, as the shaft that held the space colony, their home, together, broke apart and collapsed. And in the falling rubble, the Aegis and the Strike, Athrun and Kira, were locked in stares, and Seren, who had no more enemy left, joined them...

_Athrun... it can't be..._ Kira thought, refusing the evidence, just like his two other childhood friends...

"Kira... Kira Yamato!" A communication came from the Aegis. Kira gasped, recognizing the voice. "It's really you... Kira...? Kira... is that you?!" The pilot insisted.

"Athrun! Athrun Zala! Why? Why are you here?!"

"You too! Why are you piloting this thing?!" Athrun retorted. Seren gritted her teeth, emotional pain carving her beautiful face as the land below them fell apart into space and all the shelters were launched.

"Commander..." Captain Ades murmured, also standing up, stricken at the consequences of their attack. Such a thing should have never happened. Things were supposed to have gone much more smoothly, with little damage done to this officially neutral colony. He had never intended for the whole of Heliopolis to break down like that...

Inside the collapsing colony, Athrun, Kira and Seren were torn apart by the vacuum effect created by the sinking pieces of land. The boys were pulled backward, opposite each other, while the girl, still on the same side as Kira, nonetheless became separated from him by a stretch of shattered sky. The three cried each other's name, reaching out and yet unable to close the distance. Surrounded by the debris of the collapsing land, they were forced into the desperately vast darkness of space and war.

* * *

Since when did people forget how to fly in the sky? No, it's not like they've forgotten. They've become afraid. Because the sky does not belong to us anymore. To that sky, we spread our wings. And it was dyed in the brilliant red of blood and fire. We can fight if there's a place we want to return to. But nobody heard our murmured voices.


	4. Archangel setting off

**Phase-04: Archangel setting off**

The X105 Strike and the X216 Blast were floating among the wreckage of Heliopolis, impervious to the calls of Ensign Badgiruel. Kira and Seren were panting, trembling, their eyes wide, too shocked by the sheer devastation of their home to answer.

"Heliopolis is destroyed... why...?" Both stammered, barely able to register something so unthinkable. To think... it would be destroyed so easily... Murrue clenched her fists and turned to the CIC where Natarle was still trying to get Yamato and Ashford to respond... which they did after a few more seconds. They were alright and they knew the location of the ship. They were returning. Or at least, Seren was. Kira had picked up the signal of a Heliopolis life pod and was approaching it.

During that time, the two lieutenants in the Archangel were trying to decide what to do. They were still in the middle of a battle, they couldn't track down the movements of the ZAFT vessels because their own ship was in the middle of debris that were radiating heat so both the radar and heat-detection system were ineffective at this point... However, as Mu pointed out, it was certainly the same for the other side.

"Do you think there will be a pursuit?"

"We should move assuming that there will be..." Ramius devised. "Though there's no chance for us if we get attacked now."

La Flaga agreed. All they had were the precious Strike and Blast and his out-of-commission "zero". Even for this ship, battle would be difficult with what they had... but maybe they could shake them off at full speed. This ship was pretty fast. The woman argued that the other side had the equally speedy Nazca-class cruiser. There was no guarantee that the Archangel could shake them off...

"Then should we just surrender to them obediently...?" He suggested, gravely and defiantly.

"Eh?"

"That's also another possibility." Mu added, having recovered his blithe tone, almost as if it were a joke... although that was most likely to gently push the captain into a (right) decision. However, they were interrupted by Ensign Badgiruel's angry voice.

"Wait a second! Who authorized such a thing?!" Seren had already returned to the ship where she had decided to remain on standby in her cockpit in case something would happen. So Natarle must be arguing with Kira. Though Seren actually wanted to wait for her friend to comfort him, since she imagined only too well what he must be feeling... despite the fact that he might not show it, to the others at least, as he wouldn't want to worry them. When Ramius asked Badgiruel-shoui what the problem was, she answered that the Strike had reactivated, but was also carrying a life pod. This shocked both lieutenants.

"You can't authorize it? What do you mean, you can't authorize it? The propulsion was damaged and it was floating around. Are you telling me to leave it behind?!" The boy exclaimed, indignant. "There are refugees onboard!"

"A rescue ship will come soon. The Archangel is in a battle right now! We can't take any refugees!" Badgiruel reasoned vehemently. However, the captain contradicted what the ensign had just said and gave permission on the ground that she didn't want to waste time arguing about something like this. The refugees should be retrieved as fast as possible. Natarle saluted and floated away.

"I know that the situation is difficult but I have no intention of surrendering. We will never hand this ship, the Strike, or the Blast to ZAFT." Ramius-kanchou affirmed strongly. "We must bring them safely to the Atlantic Federation Command Center at all costs." It was then that the ensign – who had returned – proposed that they headed for Artemis. The Eurasian base, the 'Umbrella Artemis'... was the closest allied position, and the easiest location to get to. It was true that neither the Gs, nor this ship had an IFF (Identify Friend of Foe signal), and of course she was aware that the Archangel, the Strike, and the Blast were top secret weapons of the Atlantic Federation, whom they belonged to... however, if they continued on their current course toward the moon, they couldn't possibly avoid battles en route. Besides, they had taken off without proper provision, so they desperately needed to resupply too. So she believed Eurasia would understand their situation. They had to do their best to avoid engagement on their way to Artemis, replenish there, and get in contact with their headquarters on the moon. That was the most realistic plan given their present situation. Mu La Flaga understood but doubted things would go as easily as they had planned... and although Murrue had her doubts too, she also agreed that it was the only thing they could do.

Kira put down the life pod and parked the Strike. As soon as he opened the cockpit, Torii, that had been hiding in his clothes left and flew toward the red haired girl with the pink dress who had just come out of the pod, helped by two mechanics. Kira jumped after it, trying to get it back. He had recognized the girl. Alerted by the noise, she turned her head and recognized Sai's friend, and Seren watched, silent, wide eyed, as the girl started crying and threw herself in her childhood friend's arms. Kira cried Flay's name. To think she had been on this pod. Flay Allster raised her tearful blue eyes toward the boy.

"What happened to Heliopolis?! What happened?! What in the world happened?! I... I... I was at the Florence shop with Jessica and Misha but I ran to the shelter and hid by myself... Then..."

_So she's the type to abandon her companions without a second thought... what a reliable and trustworthy friend she is... that's good to know... I guess... and the first thing she does is throw herself at a guy's neck and cry in his arms even though she has a fiancé... as if she were the only one to be scared and she must be put before everyone..._ Seren's expression hardened and grew stone cold. Neither of them had noticed her. To begin with, she had never particularly cared or gotten along with her to say the least (as the preppy superficial and sheltered princess personality had never been one that appealed to her). But now her opinion of her had regressed even more...

"This is a ZAFT ship, right? What's going to happen to us, why are you in a place like this?"

"Th-This is an Earth Alliance ship." The boy stammered.

"It can't be! There's a mobile suit..."

"Well, that also belongs to the Earth Alliance... But thank goodness, Sai and Miriallia are here too. It's going to be okay." Kira comforted her... gently, kindly... despite how unsure he was himself.

"How did the situation come to this...?" Captain Ades was – to say the least – not very pleased with it, and rather apprehensive... "How do you feel about it? Destroying a neutral colony... even the council will-"

"A colony that has produced the Earth Alliance's new weapons... how is that neutral?" Le Creuset reasoned, as confident, calm and composed as ever.

"But..."

"Most of the civilians have evacuated. There won't be much of a problem... if we compare it to the tragedy of the Bloody Valentine..." At this, Ades stiffened and could not say anything. Le Creuset asked if they had detected the presence of the new Earth Alliance ship but because of the situation, it had been impossible.

"Are you still going to pursue them? But our mobile suits are..."

"We still have a few, don't we? The four we stole from the Earth Alliance..."

Ades still wasn't convinced about having them been used for battle already but for his commander, as long as they had the data it didn't matter. They should use them... He then ordered to be shown the map and that the Gamow must expand its scanning range for the enemy.

In the Archangel, Kira and Seren led Flay to the cafeteria where their friends and other refugees already were. She instantly started weeping again and this time threw herself in Sai's arms. Kira smiled sadly but good-heartedly. And Seren frowned seeing that. The atmosphere on the bridge was very different, much tenser...

"Decoy ready. At the same time of the launch, set our course toward Artemis and engage the main engine. To prevent the ship from being discovered, we will engage stealth mode. Entering level 2 battle alert." Murrue-san instructed. Mu calculated the estimated time of arrival of 'silent running' to Artemis to about two hours. The rest was up to luck... and he was obviously thinking about whether they would be attacked on the way... and whether things would go well once and if they arrived at Artemis...

Aboard the Vesalius, Ades and Le Creuset were studying a map. The captain thought the new Earth Alliance ship had already slipped through the debris and left this area but the commander disagreed. They were probably still holding their breath somewhere... perhaps setting up a trap...

"Vesalius will go first and wait for the enemy ship here." He showed the emplacement of umbrella Artemis on the map. Gamow will follow while searching for the enemy on the orbital intersection route." Rau directed. And just when Ades suggested the possibility of the enemy heading for the moon, a large heat source was detected... whose projected course was toward the Earth Alliance Atlantic Headquarters on the moon! "It's a decoy." Rau affirmed confidently. Ades wanted to send the Gamow to be sure but his superior ordered him not to. They were heading for Artemis. And indeed, the Archangel engaged its main engine, veered off and headed to Artemis. The ship shook as it maneuvered... rendering its civilian inhabitants very anxious. "I'm even surer of it now. Launch the Vesalius, and call Zellman." The ZAFT ship also changed course. The shock made Athrun, who had been lying on his bed, float away, still in the same position, his arms behind his head. He turned to see the bed on the other side of the room, and the perfectly folded red uniform and luggage lying on it.

Rusty, Luke, Miguel, Aurol, Matthew... He turned his head again and tightly shut his eyes, unable to stop tears from beading at their corners, for his comrades, his friends, who had been killed by the Earth Alliance, and by Kira and Seren, who were also precious and meant more to him than he could ever put into words...

A few crewmembers of the Archangel were checking the identities of the refugees Kira had brought back. After finding out one was a doctor, they asked him to look at the wound the captain had on her shoulder. The Heliopolis students had returned to their 'meeting cabin' where they were anxiously waiting and wondering about their families' safety and where this ship was heading. Seren suggested either the moon or Artemis, depending on their supplies. They must have changed course. Maybe ZAFT was still around, since they were after this ship and the mobile suits.

"Eh? What? Then being on this ship is more dangerous? No way...!" Flay whined in a shrilly voice. At this Kira looked very guilty... since he was the one who had brought her here. Milly noticed Kira's expression and asked Flay (rather kindly) if staying in that damaged life pod would have been any better. "It's not...but..." She pressed herself against her fiancé.

"Then don't complain. It's annoying and nothing will change even if you do. You're already here so no use whining about it." Seren agreed more harshly. Somehow, just listening to her grated her ears... She certainly wasn't going to stop her if that girl would rather leave in a life pod and wait for another ship to pass by. Then she added in a lightly derisive tone "But then again, that's true for all of us. Maybe we should help, things might get solved faster this way... At least it should be better than just sitting around doing nothing and letting our fate be decided by others." And just as she said that, Lieutenant La Flaga came asking for her and Kira. Murdoch-gunsou (petty officer 1st class) was angry at them. There wasn't enough manpower so he had said "It's your machines, so do the maintenance yourselves!"

"What?!" The boy exclaimed.

"Yeeees." The girl sighed reluctantly. She had expected such a thing. But Kira stopped her. How could she just accept it like this?! They were not soldiers! They didn't have to! Just because they could pilot didn't mean they could wage war! It couldn't be that she actually...

"Of course I hate it as much as you do! But I don't think those guys will just give up and go back obediently. Lieutenant La Flaga, you, and I are the only ones with the power to protect this ship. And since we've destroyed the GINNs, they'll definitely send those four units after us, and as skilled as the lieutenant is, do you really believe he can fend all of them on his own? I don't want to die here like this, and I don't want to let any of you die. So I will do what I can to increase our chances of survival by even 1%. And if it means piloting, fighting, and learning the ways of war, then so be it. I... don't want to let our fate be decided by others." Seren walked away. She had spoken with calm, sad, and grim determination. 'Knowing' whether by her keen and quick mind or her refined intuition, or both, had always been both her blessing and her curse. Because she was incapable of ignoring or choosing to ignore, she could only accept – even if that was something she would have rather denied with all of her being –... and act according to her conscience. And such pragmatism was often mistaken for heartlessness, especially in such times of war.

"Oh my, such a smart and reliable friend you have. Well, that's the way it is. You have the power, so just do what you can. We don't have much time, not even the time to worry..." Mu also encouraged him with a smile. When he started to leave, Sai asked him where they were going. "An Eurasian military fortress. Well, it'd be nice if we can get there smoothly." And the lieutenant left.

"I..." Kira muttered, before closing his eyes, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, an anguished expression on his handsome face. He didn't want to fight him. He didn't want to fight at all. But... And Seren... And no longer able to take it, he ran away.

Sai told his clueless fiancée that the mobile suit that had brought here the life pod she had been in had been piloted by Kira. And since she was still clueless as to how he could have done that, Kuzzey told her that both Seren and Kira were Coordinators. Sai and Milly glared at him and Tolle said his name in an angry tone. And knowing the opinion his promised had on genetically modified humans, he reassured her. It was true Kira and Seren were Coordinators, but they were not from ZAFT.

"Yup, they're our friends... our precious friends." Miriallia agreed warmly and sincerely. However, Flay was still not convinced.

Kira was standing before the Strike, recalling Seren's and Mu's words. The power to protect... do what they could do... piloting, learning the ways of war... Was there no way to protect them without having to learn that?! He started running again.

"Kira!" A voice called him. He turned to see Seren leaving her cockpit and joining him. He wasn't sure he wanted to see her now, but that was still her... he waited, especially since she seemed unusually worried and apprehensive. "Kira, have you met him? Have you...talked to him?" She inquired, her voice also softer and more emotive than usual. His eyes widened for a moment before saddening again. From her tone and her expression, he had immediately guessed who she had been talking about.

"Yeah... and you?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry..." And without any more words, Kira understood. She was sorry for not telling him, but he understood that it was because she had not been able to. She was sorry for not having been able to convince that person, for her lack of strength, and because even though she didn't want to fight, she was still going to, for both his childhood friends, for the two men she loved the most, so that one day, they could be together again, the three of them... and for their friends who had protected them when they were going to be shot down by the Earth Army. Kira shook his head.

"It's not your fault." He smiled. They embraced each other. For them, the other was like a mirror reflecting their own sorrow and suffering, their own doubts and distress. Because the three of them were so important to each other, she was the only one who could truly understand what he was enduring. Just like he was the only one who could truly understand what SHE was enduring. And yet, she was still trying to console him, to protect him. And he was grateful for that. She was really the strong, steadfast, and reliable one, just like Athrun...

"Athrun Zala, reporting." The boy entered after Le Creuset gave him permission to enter his office (and bedroom). He saluted.

"The destruction of Heliopolis caused quite a mess. So our conversation was delayed." The blonde commander finished typing and turned toward his subordinate.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry about the last battle." Athrun apologized earnestly.

"I have no intention of punishing you. But I'd like to hear your story, since that behavior was very unlike you, Athrun." Rau informed him, kindly but firmly. The young and elite soldier looked pained for a moment, as if beset by conflicting emotions. As he was still keeping quiet, his superior insisted. "You were beside those machines when they activated, right?"

"I apologize. Due to an unexpected accident, I was in shock and unable to report back. The ones who are piloting these two last units are Kira Yamato for the Strike and Seren Ashford for the Blast. They are schoolmates and friends of mine from my childhood days on the moon." Athrun admitted. At this, the commander sounded quite interested. "I never imagined that I'd meet them again in a place like this. I wanted to make sure..."

"I see... War is full of irony. Your shock couldn't be helped. He was a very good friend of yours, right?" The man in white uniform stood up, sounding very understanding.

"Yes."

"And that girl, do you really consider her as just a very good friend?"

"Huh?" The boy appeared not to get where his commander was going.

"I understand." Rau smiled kindly. "If that's the case, I'm going to remove you from the next assault."

"Eh?"

"You won't be able to point a gun at enemies like that. I don't want to make you do such a thing either."

"No, Commander. I..."

"Even though they are your old friends, if they've become our enemies we must shoot them down. I think you understand that..."

"Kira is... he's being used by the Naturals... He's brilliant, but a little air-headed and good-natured so he doesn't even notice he's being used... And Seren just stays with him to take care of him. She's usually very clever, and clear-sighted and accomplished, but she's always been much too soft on Kira... That's why, I want to convince them! They're Coordinators too, and her mother was also a Coordinator killed by Blue Cosmos! There's no reason for them not to understand what we're doing!" Athrun continued frantically... desperately trying to convince his superior to give him this opportunity to reclaim those two who were so important to him.

"I understand your feelings..." Rau said, his gloved hands on his hips. He had noted the differences between the descriptions of Kira and Seren, just like he had noted his subordinate's reaction when he had questioned the sort of relationship they had. He had done so on impulse, trusting his instinct as usual. Well... "But what if they don't listen?" He objected. Athrun recoiled lightly. He had never considered – as he had never been willing to – that they could actually really refuse him. Surely they just needed time to properly think things through...! Then, as he registered the possibility, he hung his head, looking terribly miserable. "If that time comes... I'll shoot them down." He concluded with a determined tone.

The CIC of the Archangel detected a large heat source likely to be the engine of a battleship... and from the coordinates, she was right next to them, and heading in the same direction. Fortunately, the Earth Alliance ship hadn't been discovered yet, and the enemy ship was still pretty far. However, it was passing them by. The target ship was the Nazca-class cruiser. They were obviously planning to go ahead and block the path. And the Laurassia-class was approaching from their rear... At this rate they'll either be caught by the Laurassia-class or intercepted by the Nazca-class...! La Flaga asked to be shown the data on the two ships as well as the map of the area. He was going to devise a plan!

Through the ship, the alarm rang... "Enemy encountered! Entering level 1 battle alert! All military personnel, report to your positions now!" Chandra and his friend left their quarters in a hurry and ran to the bridge, complaining about how they had just gotten into bed. In the cafeteria, a little girl with twin tails and pink overalls fearfully hugged her mother around her middle. Everyone was scared and apprehensive. Voicing the thoughts of the vast majority, a man grumbled about the ship entering battle despite the presence of civilians. Their safety should be prioritized! The students kept quiet. Although they knew the truth, they couldn't help having similar sentiments. It was then they heard that Kira Yamato and Seren Ashford were to report to the bridge. Their expressions changed into worry for their friends. They knew that if they didn't fight, things would become quite ugly. Milly was feeling bad about always having to rely on these to protect them. She wanted to do something for them too. Tolle repeated Seren's and Mu's words... 'if you have the power, just do what you can...' huh? He, Milly, Kuzzey, and Sai nodded at each other with a smile.

"Kanchou! There are civilians who wish to speak with you!" Chandra said. Instead of the kanchou, Natarle answered (as sharply as usual) that they were occupied now, if they had complaints they would listen later, and that he should tell them to keep quiet for now. He stammered that it was the students who had come with them from Heliopolis... they wanted to help with jobs on the ship... This wasn't something Ramius had expected... On their way back from the briefing, Kira, who was looking down, and Seren, who was leading the way and gazing straight ahead (although in the distance), were hailed by Tolle and the others coming from the opposite way. The two Coordinators were surprised to see their friends and fellow students wearing military uniforms, blue jackets and white pants for the boys and pink jacket and yellow skirt for the girl.

"We thought we'd help out on the ship's jobs." Sai answered. "They're lacking manpower, right?"

"They said we'd have to wear uniform if we want to get onto the brigde." Kuzzey explained.

"The ZAFT uniforms are much cooler though. We don't even have ranks so we look kind of dumb." Tolle 'joked'. Chandra, who was supervising them, told him not to say such smart things. "We can't always let you two fight and protect us."

"In a situation like this, we also want to do what we can." Milly agreed. Kira and Seren were deeply moved. They were all smiling so warmly and comfortingly. They sincerely wanted to support the two of them, to let them know that even if they could not fight like they did, they were not alone, and they, too, could share a bit of the burden. Chandra pushed the four. It was time to go. The children exchanged light-hearted parting words like 'see you later', as if they were just going to different classes at school, instead of two of them going to risk their lives outside. The Petty Officer 2nd Class, told the pilots to wear their suits if they were going to sortie again.

Aboard the Vesalius, the soldiers were in sight of the Umbrella Artemis. They had probably detected them already since it was opening. Ades had mixed feelings; they had arrived here unable to capture the Earth Alliance's new ship. But Rau reassured him. They had headed them off and would stop them here. The ZAFT ship made a 180° turn and advanced slowly while matching speed with Artemis.

Kira and Seren had just finished changing into their pilot suits when Mu entered. He was glad they were finally motivated enough to wear them, especially Kira. He had thought, and after all, they were right, the three of them were the only ones could protect this ship. He didn't want to fight, but he wanted to protect this ship, because everyone was there... And it was the same for the OMNI enforcers aboard the Archangel. Nobody fought without a reason.

"If you don't fight, you can't protect. Therefore you fight." Mu said with a grave expression. Kira nodded. Then the lieutenant informed his fellow pilots about the plan... Later, as he boarded his mobile armor, he advised the teens to only think about protecting themselves and the ship.

_Athrun... are you going to come again... to sink this ship?_ The boy thought, his heart twisting painfully. "They'll definitely send those four units after us" were the words Seren had said. He doubted she could be wrong, and that only made the pain sharper. And in the Blast, Seren shared the exact same feelings.

Mu La Flaga headed out first in his Moebius Zero. The Strike and the Blast prepared for the launch. They took their position, and connected to the catapult. The lieutenant was going to attack the enemy from the front, during that time, Kira was going protect the ship from the enemy coming from behind. Seren was to guard the ship more closely but help one or the other when needed. They trusted her judgment. Suddenly, the two youngsters received a communication. They were surprised to see Miriallia on the screen.

"From now on, I'm the battle controller for mobile suits and mobile armors. _Yoroshikune_!" She winked and made a V sign. Sai, also on the CIC, was in charge of enemy detection and electronic warfare identification. Tolle assisted the pilot as the navigator of the ship while Kuzzey had been assigned as the communications operator.

"It is _yoroshiku onegaishimasu_." Chandra corrected her all too informal greeting for a more proper one. Even if she was talking to friends, now they were all military personnel. Kira and Seren chuckled lightly. That was Milly alright. The Strike was equipped with the Aile Striker and the Blast with the Nova Blast Away pack to which the Schwert Gewehr Lanze was added. Ensign Badgiruel warned them that the enemy would come as soon as the Archangel will have started the engines. The captain ordered to start the engines and fire the Lohengrin cannons in the same time. The target was the Nazca class cruiser ahead.

"Lohengrin, fire!" Natarle yelled.

The Vesalius detected the oncoming attack as well as the battleship and prepared to dodge. Rau Le Creuset was smiling. So the enemy had realized they were here and fired in a panic... The stolen mobile suits took their positions, ready to be launched.

"I'll believe in those words you've said before, Athrun Zala."

"Yes." The Aegis was launched. It was detected by the Archangel. At Ramius's request, Badgiruel gave the order to launch the Strike and the Blast. Haww transmitted. The Duel, the Buster, and the Blitz also flew out of the Gamow from the rear. And carrying their friends' words and thoughts in their hearts, Kira and Seren opened their eyes full of determination and headed out into battle.

* * *

The ones who can move a new ship are not old sailors. However, the ones finding new routes were the ever pure sailors. But the map found by the ever pure us... was a path of suffering, which fell from the sky.


	5. Thoughts of friends

**Phase-05: Thoughts of friends**

"I'll believe in those words you've said before, Athrun Zala."

"Yes." The Aegis was launched. It was detected by the Archangel. At Ramius' request, Badgiruel gave the order to launch the Strike and the Blast. Haww transmitted. The Duel, the Buster, and the Blitz also flew out of the Gamow from the rear. And carrying their friends' words and thoughts in their hearts, Kira and Seren opened their eyes full of determination and headed out into battle.

Ensign Badgiruel, who was in charge of the CIC, commanded that they prepared for anti-mobile suit combat, charged the corintoss, deployed the linear canons on both sides, imput target data... Chandra identified the enemy mobile suits as the Duel, Buster, and Blitz. Nobody on the bridge could – or wanted – to believe it... they were already throwing in all the Gs they had stolen...

Kira detected the presence of a single unit and remembered the lieutenant's words... _"Think only of protecting yourselves and the ship."_ That was why Seren had been ordered to remain at the Archangel's side in case enemies would slip past him... But then, he identified that single mobile suit as Athrun's, just like Athrun had identified Kira's Strike.

"Athrun has already left the Vesalius. Don't get left behind!" Yzac motivated his 'troops'.

"Not to a guy like him..." Dearka scoffed. He was the only one who answered. Nicol felt no such rivalry with the others. The three spread out. The captain of the Archangel instructed to begin engaging the enemy and snapped the CIC commander back to the pressing reality. The laser targeting was okay.

"Missiles tubes, numbers 13 to 18. Fire! 7 to 12, sledgehammer targeting! 19 to24, Corintoss, fire!" And all the missiles shot at the three units behind the ship.

The Strike and the Aegis took a beam saber. Kira was going to engage but Athrun passed him by before stopping and turning further away.

"Kira! Stop this, put your saber away! Kira!" The ZAFT soldier ordered. "We're not enemies, right?! Why do we have to fight?!"

"Athrun..."

"You're also a Coordinator, why do you have to fight against us?!"

Kira tightened his grip on the joystick, an anguished expression on his face. He did not want to think of Athrun as his enemy, he did not want to fight him either. He was wavering.

Yzac ordered Dearka and Nicol to go for the ship and the Blast while he was going to take care of the Strike with Athrun. They agreed, fired up. Dearka wanted to deal with the Blast on his own while Nicol would sink the ship. However, they had barely decided that that they could barely avoid being taken down by two energy beams whose power nonetheless grazed their limbs. They looked to see the Blast aiming at them with its "Siegfried" 300mm high impulse beam cannon and its 88mm high-energy rifle.

"Damn! Make sure you take those wretches down! And don't forget: the Blast almost took Athrun out!" Yzac cursed and left as his comrades were forced to protect themselves from the Blast's cluster bombs and the Archangel's missiles and igelstellung while the ship was protected from their weapons with anti-beams charges. The Valiant linear cannons fired. Dearka and Nicol made frustrated sounds and flew around. Leaving aside taking the ship and the Blast down, it was already difficult enough to avoid being shot down themselves...

Kira noticed the Archangel's plight and tried to go help but he was stopped by Athrun. Why was he in the Earth Alliance?! Why did he ally himself with the Naturals?!

"I'm not with the Earth Alliance!"

"Huh?"

"But my comrades... my friends are on that ship! You too! Why ZAFT?! Why are you in the war?!" The brown haired boy yelled in frustration. Athrun's eyes went wide as he remembered his reason for fighting... and his previous encounter with Seren... So she hadn't told him anything... The Strike kept trying to shake off the Aegis, in vain. ""I hate war."... you said that too, didn't you?! Then why did you attack Heliopolis?!"

"Because Naturals who don't understand the situation built these things."

"Heliopolis is neutral! Even I! And Seren too! And yet..." Kira's frustration and bitterness were building up. It could be heard in his tone. And as caught up as he was, he barely evaded energy shots. The Duel had gone after him too! Yzac yelled at Athrun. What the hell was he waiting for?!

The ship took evasive action at maximum velocity and fired the anti-beam charges. Natarle yelled at those in charge of the igelstellung not to let the enemy get close to the ship and to set the Helldarts to auto-launch. The Blitz blocked a number of missiles, the cockpit shook. Dearka fired but the energy was partly absorbed by the shield of the Blast. Since this unit could be highly demanding in energy, especially when equipped with the blast away pack like right now, the manufacturers had properly thought of a way not to draw too much on the battery. However, even if the shield could effectively absorb the energy of a 57mm beam rifle, the Buster's 94mm was a bit different after all. She would have to tweak the shield's ability later. But now was not the time to think about it! Seren set off the thrusters and charged the Buster, only firing with her 88mm beam rifle, observing the enemy's habits when evading. But this had allowed the Blitz to get closer to the ship. She withdrew and attacked the black unit when one of the Buster's shots hit the Archangel's laminated armor. The heat and energy dissipated across the whole hull but the shock was nonetheless enough to shake the ship. The civilians inside fearfully screamed and whimpered and held on to anything they could. Flay was asking what was happening. She had no idea how intense the battle outside was, as worried as she was about her own safety only.

Yzac was growing more and more infuriated at the Strike's evasive maneuvering. Was he trying to escape?! And it was true that Kira was trying to avoid combat. Not because he was being a wimp but because his machine's power level was getting dangerously low. Still, if he kept running away like that, he would not be able to escape. And he knew that. So he decided to counterattack.

Dearka and Nicol were also having much trouble with the Blast and the Archangel as they were pretty well armed. They couldn't get through. And their gundams had been grazed a number of times. It was then that the youngest red uniform had an idea. He would try from below the ship while Dearka was to cover him. They dived through the shots and under the Archangel. Chandra reported it. Badgiruel instructed for the lower igelstellung to fire and Ramius ordered the use of the Gottfried, left rolling angle 30, port 20. The spacecraft shifted her position. Inside, the passengers were literally getting pushed around by the boat's sharp movements. The Archangel fired the Gottfried and the Blast its beam weapons. The Blitz lost a hand.

In the Vesalius, a member reported the approach of the enemy ship, distance 740. There was also a communication from the Gamow, confirming that the enemy forces were just the two mobile suits. Le Creuset crossed his fingers. So the enemy mobile armor still could not be launched yet? He had a small smile on his lips...

Kira cursed and kept firing. His machine's power level was quickly decreasing. He was getting desperate. Yzac mocked his tactics, took his beam saber and attacked. Kira blocked with his shield, disengaged and started shooting again. And the duel continued under Athrun's lost, confused, and worried gaze. Yzac was his comrade and Kira was his friend. And these two were fighting. Yzac definitely intended to kill Kira. And indeed Kira was the enemy... or should be... but he couldn't think of him as his enemy... he didn't want him to die... he didn't want to kill him or let a comrade kill him... What should he do?!

Meantime, a Moebius Zero was slowly and silently advancing through the debris. La Flaga was becoming anxious that his target still wasn't into view. But he had to stay calm and not give in to his impatience. Or his mission would be sure to fail.

The Archangel had come closer to the Vesalius and was entering its firing range. Rau Le Creuset said to commence their attack but the captain protested that their mobile suits were still in combat. The commander showed his usual confident smile like he already knew everything. He was not as stupid as to hit allied units. The enemy was going to be the one firing. Ades ordered that the main cannons be ready to fire the enemy battleship.

The fight between the Strike and the Duel was continuing. The Buster had also come to help. Kira had detected another bad thing, just like Chandra... the Archangel was being locked on! Ramius-kanchou was hesitating but not Badgiruel-shoui who commanded to prepare the lohengrin to fire.

"Wait! The Lieutenant's Zero is still approaching!" Murrue dissented. And indeed, even though she didn't know, La Flaga had at last found the target he had been looking for. "Begin evasive maneuver!"

"It'll be too dangerous! If we don't shoot, we will be shot at!"

The captain slammed her fist on her armrest. It was not like she didn't understand her subordinate's argument but nonetheless, she couldn't yet give the order to shoot. They were then informed of the Laurassia-class arriving from behind... Suddenly, Rau Le Creuset felt something. And indeed, La Flaga's Zero was bulleting toward them from below. He ordered for the engines to be at their maximum, stern up, 60 degrees! And it was only after he had given the order that the Vesalius detected the heat signature from the enemy mobile armor. The execution of the orders came too late and even though the shields were activated, the gunbarrels still caused some serious damage leading to a drop in the energy level. Mu cheered. The Moebius Zero passed by and withdrew. Ades wanted to shoot it down but a fire was spreading. They had to withdraw too. Le Creuset cursed and told the captain to inform the Gamow. The Archangel received a communication from the lieutenant stating that the mission had been a success. The crew let out their relief. Now was the chance, Ramius instructed them to fire at the Nazca-class in front of them, inform La Flaga-taii, the Strike and the Blast to evacuate the area and told Badgiruel to prepare the lohengrin.

Nicol and Dearka had gone as reinforcement to bring the Strike down. They were followed by Seren who had gone to help Kira. However, they were two against four, and their power level was another cause for concern. The two EA units might be skillfully dodging the attacks, but it was only a question of time. It was then that the four attackers received the order to withdraw due to the damage on the Vesalius. They were all shocked but obeyed nonetheless. Had they been a second too late, they would not have escaped unscathed from the lohengrin. The Vesalius barely evaded though and its left wing was ravaged by fire and explosions. The ZAFT vessel left the Archangel's firing range.

"Give the Strike and the Blast the signal to retreat! The Archangel will head for Artemis at maximum velocity!" Murrue commanded. Colored flares exploded around the ship. The young pilots immediately recognized them. However, Yzac was hell bent on not letting the Strike get away and kept attacking. He even called Athrun a coward when the latter tried to remind him that a withdrawal order had been issued. Athrun was still hesitating as to what he should be doing, as if caught between ice and fire. And during that time, Kira, Seren, and everyone on the bridge were getting more and more worried about the Blast's, and especially the Strike's power level. The Blast that had come to help the Strike and blow a path was slowly but surely being pushed closer to the Strike. They certainly intended to entirely surround them both and shoot them down like this but it was forgetting the civilians' capabilities. Seren was giving her all in order to strategically place her unit and evade at the last second to make the enemies shoot each other, or put them in a line to shoot several in the same time... although due to the opponents' ability, this approach only met with an all relative success.

However, it was then that the Strike's power level reached zero. The armor returned to its original dull gray color. Its phase-shift system was down! Kira was no longer protected! Yzac was going to slice him in half when Seren shot the Duel, taking its saber and half of its arm that were sticking forth. In the same time, Athrun had transformed the Aegis and caught the Strike. Seren cried the names of her childhood friends before she had to defend against the Blitz and the Buster. The Strike... Kira had been captured! And at this rate, she was going to be shot down! Her current weapons demanded more energy than her shield could absorb, and against those three opponents... But there seemed to be something wrong with them, like their attention was partly diverted by something... and indeed, although she did not know of it, they were arguing between themselves, or rather, they were disputing Athrun's decision to capture the Strike. They had been ordered to destroy it! He must stop doing things on his own accord! Athrun replied it was better to capture it if they could. And even though he naturally kept quite about it, he hoped that Seren, admitting her clearly disadvantageous position, would eventually surrender to him, to them. Even if it was so she could rescue Kira, this way, he could convince them both that his side was the only place where they should and must be...

Unfortunately for him, Seren had her own plan in mind. She quickly broke away and contacted the Archangel. She wanted them to launch one of her packs. She'd equip it in mid-air. She also wanted them to put one of Kira's packs on standby on the catapult immediately afterwards. She and the lieutenant would rescue Kira and he would also equip in midair. The crew couldn't believe it. That was crazy! And if it failed...

"We don't have time to lose! We'll definitely make it succeed!" Seren argued vehemently. La Flaga agreed with her. If it was them...

"What are you doing, Athrun?!" Kira asked, alarmed and anxious.

"I'm taking you to the Gamow. And Seren will follow you."

"Don't joke! I'm not going to a ZAFT ship!" The brown haired boy frantically pushed a number of buttons to try and make his machine work again.

"You're a Coordinator! One of us!"

"No, I'm not part of ZAFT!"

"Stop your nonsense, Kira! You will come." Athrun was speaking in a barely contained voice. "Otherwise... I'll have to shoot you...!" His hands were trembling. He was sweating. The pilot of the Strike ceased protesting. He understood. Just like he didn't want to shoot Athrun, Athrun didn't want to shoot him... "My mother died in the 'Bloody Valentine'..." At this Kira's eyes widened. "I..." Athrun gasped. The Aegis had detected two mobile weapons. The Blast charging straight at it and a mobile armor whose gunbarrels soon detached and attacked from all sides. In this appearance, the mobility of the Aegis was greatly reduced. It took a number of hits and was forced to let go and regain its humanoid form. Athrun cursed. He especially resented Seren. Did she really not understand what he was trying to do?! It couldn't be! Lieutenant La Flaga told Kira to retreat as the Archangel was going to launch his pack.

"There's still a big one behind us! Gear up! Hurry!"

Kira looked through the window. The red unit, Athrun, was fighting the lieutenant and Seren.

"Kira! We decided to protect them, didn't we?! If we don't, then who will?!" Seren yelled. Memories of his Natural friends passed through his mind. The adamantine conviction of her tone had woken him up. But because they had been together for so long, because of the bond they shared, he had also heard the tears of anguish in her voice.

"Understood." Kira withdrew. The pilot of the Aegis screamed his name and was going to chase but the Blast blocked his path.

"Seren..." Athrun gritted his teeth. "Do you really not understand?!"

"And you, do you really understand what you're asking of us, trying to make us choose between our families and friends and you?!" The girl shot back.

"We're also your family, and I'm also your friend!" The ZAFT pilot retorted.

"Then stop that! If you attack, it's obvious we'll have to defend ourselves!"

The Blitz had also stayed but the Duel and Buster had gone after the Strike. The Archangel rained shells after shells on them. They would not allow them near the Strike! Ramius-kanchou was speaking with the chief mechanic Murdoch on the phone. She wanted to know whether the preparations were complete. And well... they were but he still thought it was reckless. Seren didn't have any pursuers but the boy did! What if the pack was shot down?! The captain was well aware of the recklessness of this 'plan' but they didn't have a choice. They had to do it! She hung up and left the timing of the operation to ensign Badgiruel's care. Natarle ordered the matching of the ship's velocity with the Strike's, the adjusting the catapult's launch moment and hand it over to the Launcher Striker's computer.

La Flaga went to distract the Buster and the Duel while Seren stayed to fight Athrun and Nicol. She avoided or blocked their beam weapons while charging at the Aegis and slashing with her saber that was in her left hand. The blow was parried but she changed the angle and pushed, evading a shot from the Blitz. She retaliated with her Schwert Gewehr Lanze that was dodged. She disengaged so her legs wouldn't be cut off by the beam sabers coming out of the Aegis' feet. Despite the lieutenant's efforts, the Duel was still dangerously approaching, but the Strike managed to enter the launching path, and as soon as it did, the commanding officer of the CIC ordered the launching of the pack. The pack was hurled into space. Kira removed his current one. Yzac aimed at him and locked on. The Strike detected it. It was equipping the launcher pack when a rocket sped toward it. His friends on the bridge of the Archangel screamed his name. There was a huge explosion. They stood up. Suddenly, a beam tore through the smoke and disintegrated the Duel's right arm. The Strike broke through, unscathed. The rocket had not touched the gundam. In fact, it had been detonated first... by a shot from the Blast's Schwert Gewehr Lanze. Kira roared and shot a number of times. The Buster came to cover for its comrade. The Moebius Zero, the Blast, the Aegis and the Blitz also joined the fray. But now, as Athrun and Nicol remarked, they were the ones at risk. If they stayed to fight it would be their power levels that would drop to zero. Yzac gritted his teeth, making a frustrated sound, punched the glass of his cockpit and extremely reluctantly, agreed to retreat. After a time, Kira and Seren stopped firing. The crew on the Archangel relaxed.

In the ZAFT pilots' changing room, Yzac angrily slammed Athrun against a locker, his fists tightly clenching the front of his uniform. The blue-haired pilot uttered a painful sound.

"You bastard! What were you trying to do?! If you hadn't pulled those stupid stunts...!"

"It was a total failure... thanks to your insubordination..." Dearka agreed, his arms crossed. Although his voice had been softer, there was contempt and disappointment in his tone, and there was there same resentment in his eyes. The young men had only removed their helmets, which were now floating around. Athrun kept his eyes away from them. They were right, and he knew it. That was why he could not say anything. But for Kira and Seren, who were considered as their enemies, who he should consider as his enemies but was unable to, he had had no choice but to do what he had done. And he could not say a word about them to his allies... It was then that the door opened. It was Nicol. He immediately reprimanded them and told them to stop fighting. This was not the place. However, Yzac still couldn't take this humiliation. How could they not take these two units down despite being superior in numbers?!

"Even so, blaming Athrun now won't change a thing, right?!" Nicol shot back. The oldest pilot turned his sharp blue eyes toward him and made a frustrated noise. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Yzac roughly shoved Athrun away and left, followed by Dearka. Zala still did not budge. "Athrun, I, too, think it wasn't like you. But..." The youngest pilot looked at his 'friend' as if trying to understand what he could have been thinking to act like this.

"Could you leave me alone for now, Nicol...?" And still not daring to meet his gaze, the green-eyed young man left too. He closed the door. But he had barely advanced that he stopped and punched the wall with the side of his right fist. He was angrier and more frustrated than anyone... at himself, and at the pilots of the Blast and the Strike. "Kira, Seren..." He muttered through gritted teeth as the recoil made him hit the opposite wall of the corridor.

Her head down, without looking at anyone, her eyes lost into the distance, Seren left her unit after a time. She was thinking about Athrun. It was then she heard the mechanics calling Kira in vain. She floated toward them, opened the cockpit of the Strike and looked inside. He was trembling in fear and unable to let go. She gazed at him with sadness and went in. She removed his helmet and held his face in her hands.

"Kira, look at me. The fight is over now. We're all fine, the ship, our friends, the lieutenant, you, me, and those guys. We're all unharmed. We protected everyone. So let go, and come. You did well." The girl smiled kindly and warmly, her hands now on his.

"Seren..." Kira let go of the joysticks to wrap his arms around her shoulders and hold her as tight as he could. He was there, alive, with her.

Flay threw herself at Sai and hugged him for dear life. She called him an idiot (for not having been with her) and sobbed and cried about just how scared she had been, all alone, with the ship shaking so much, not caring about all the people around and staring at them. Sai said nothing. He understood her. But despite being a civilian, he had donned the military uniform, and he had been on the bridge during the battle. They were at war. And they were in a battleship. He also understood the feelings of those who had decided to fight.

Kuzzey, Tolle, and Milly were still on the bridge. Artemis had accepted their request for docking and was going to send an inspection ship.

The Vesalius had hidden behind a large debris and the crew members were busy trying to fix her when Rau le Creuset received orders from the Supreme Council to return. And yet, he was smiling, unlike captain Ades who felt rather reluctant to return home after having gotten this far chasing down the enemy ship. However, it could not be helped after the collapse of Heliopolis... the council must be in turmoil. The Commander informed them they would head for home as soon as the repairs were complete. They must also tell Athrun to return. The Gamow was to keep pursuing the Archangel.

As soon as Kira and Seren left the changing room, dressed in their military uniforms, they almost bumped into a smiling Lieutenant La Flaga who instantly wrapped his arms around their necks and brought them closer to him. He had forgotten to tell them something... They must lock the activation program of the Strike and the Blast... so that no one else but they would be able to activate them... Kira had no idea what he was talking about, unlike his childhood friend who had always kept a tab on the forces of this war... and who had already locked the activation program of her unit.

Ramius and Natarle greeted the officers of the Eurasian base and thanked them for allowing them to dock. The ship did a turnabout and entered backward, guided by the rails. She had barely got in that the shields spread again, rendering this fortress impregnable. Seeing as Flay was so filled with wonder, Sai told him it was called a Beam Defense Area, also known as the Umbrella Artemis, an ultimate defense that even lasers could not penetrate. It was just the two of them. Flay was immensely relieved. They were saved now, right? Her fiancé agreed.

The Archangel docked. And a number of people in spacesuits surrounded it and aimed their weapons at it. Naturally, Ramius-kanchou demanded to know the meaning of this, but the Lieutenant Commander merely told her to remain calm.

That was right, humans had always followed only one law: the survival of the fittest. Considering the superpowers that were the Eurasian Federation and the Atlantic Federation, such a thing was inevitable. And an alliance was often just a tactic to sacrifice your 'ally' while you ripped the benefits and got rid of rivals. The Atlantic Federation had been the biggest sponsor for the creation of the gundams which were supposed to be their secret weapons, hiding them from even their 'allies'. Now what was going to happen?

* * *

We shared our feelings many times. Even if those were our pain and wounds, they formed a bond between us. But despite that, in wanting to be understood so badly, we had forgotten that the other was there. What could we do to get them back? We had no idea.


	6. Perfect defense

**Phase-06: Perfect Defense**

The Archangel docked. And a number of people in spacesuits surrounded it and aimed their weapons at it. Naturally, Ramius-kanchou demanded to know the meaning of this, but the Lieutenant Commander merely told her to remain calm.

That was right, humans had always followed only one law: the survival of the fittest. Considering the superpowers that were the Eurasian Federation and the Atlantic Federation, such a thing was inevitable. And an alliance was just a tactic to sacrifice your 'ally' while you ripped the benefits and got rid of rivals. The Atlantic Federation had been the biggest sponsor for the creation of the gundams which were supposed to be their secret weapons, hiding them from even their 'allies'. Now what was going to happen?

In the cafeteria, crew members and civilians apprehensively watched the monitor that showed the footage of their ship being targeted by their allies. Flay was especially anxious. She was sure they would be safe here at last and this happened? What did it mean? Soon, armed people entered and held them at gunpoint. The same happened for every single person on the ship. This time it was Natarle who insisted to have explanations. Vidanc-shousa informed them he was simply locking down the ship's controls and weaponry. After all it did not have any valid identification nor of course his forces' identification codes. Considering the situation he had granted them permission to enter the port but unfortunately he could not recognize them as allies yet. Artemis was a military installation. They should be able to understand this much. At this, Badgiruel could not reply anything regardless of how much she disliked the methods they were using. It had struck her law-abiding chord. As a soldier, doubting others was a basic means of survival. They had been careless, but again, they didn't have a choice. They could only grit their teeth now but they had to try. Then he 'requested' that the commanding officers followed him to be filled in on the situation. The two women, joined by La Flaga, boarded a tiny shuttle while all the crew was gathered in the cafeteria.

"So that's their secret military project. They did well hiding that thing." The commander commented.

"It seems the earlier rumors about a ship in Heliopolis were true." His second added.

"I'll have them take a long rest here." Then there was a knock on the door and the Archangel's three commanding officers were brought in. He welcomed them to Artemis.

Unease was weighing the civilians' minds like a ton of bricks. For the crew members, the atmosphere was more akin to menacing storm clouds charged with electricity, reading to release their dangerous load at the slightest spark. Sai asked whether the Eurasian Federation and the Atlantic Federation were on bad terms but a crewman said it wasn't that. The problem was that they didn't have an identification code. However, to Murdoch's and Neumann's wise opinion, the real problem was elsewhere...

"Lieutenant Murrue Ramius, Lieutenant Mu La Flaga, Ensign Natarle Badgiruel... I see. Your IDs are definitely of the Atlantic Federation." The commander of the Artemis acknowledged. They also talked about Mu's glorious past as the 'Hawk of Endymion'. During the battle of Grimaldi - where the commandant had also participated as part of Admiral Villard's unit – La Flaga had destroyed five GINNs, greatly encouraging the demoralized Earth Alliance that was on the verge of losing. The Lieutenant thanked him. However, Rear Admiral Gerard Garcia had not expected him on this ship... Mu, knowing his interlocutor was trying to weasel information out of him, politely but clearly replied that he could not fill him in on the details because it was a secret mission. It was then the commander changed tactics. He told them it would be difficult to provide them with supplies. Murrue insisted. They needed to leave for the moon as soon as possible as they were chased by ZAFT. At this, the Rear Admiral showed them footage of the Laurassia-class Gamow lurking outside the Umbrella. They had been at it since the Archangel entered. Well, one or two ships were nothing here. But even if they got their supplies, they wouldn't be able to leave.

"We are what they are after. Waiting like this might even bring damage to Artemis...!" La Flaga attempted to convince him, in vain. The commander laughed his concern off. ZAFT couldn't do anything, and eventually they would leave like they always did. Mu tried to insist but was silenced. They were going to rest for a while since they seemed tired. Rooms would be prepared for them. However, even though the three officers knew what the Rear Admiral was truly planning, they could not defy him and were forced to obey. The commander of the Artemis smoothed things saying he would contact the moon once ZAFT had left but somehow, the others found it rather hard to believe, though theu didn't voice a single thing. The male Lieutenant asked whether Artemis was really safe.

"Yes, like a mother's embrace."

However, children could be torn from their mothers, and mothers, just like children, could be killed when in each other's arms.

In the cafeteria of the Archangel, the crew was complaining while eating. Just how long was this situation going to last?! But well, they couldn't do anything with the three commanding officers being away, and they couldn't really fight their own allies either. Lots of things were happening, even in the Earth Alliance. However, while of course the current situation preoccupied them a lot, it was thoughts of Athrun that mainly haunted Kira's and Seren's mind and made them sigh and play with their food so much.

In their guarded room, Natarle kept pacing back and forth and ranting about the way they were being treated. Even though they were from an 'unknown ship', it was too much! Mu said it couldn't be helped since they had no intention of letting them return to the ship now. What he was really worried about was those people's overconfidence in the safety of Artemis...

And indeed, in the Gamow, Yzak, Dearka, Nicol, as well as the captain, were trying to find a way to attack the base and concluded it was impossible, or at the very least, extremely difficult. No laser or projectile could penetrate the lightwave barrier surrounding the asteroid, and the same went for the other side, which was why they didn't attack. It was stupid, according to Dearka, but as the captain pointed out, the fact that it was first class as a defensive weapon could not be denied. As it was not an important base, ZAFT had never seriously tried to take it over. However, it was also true that all their previous attempts had failed. That battleship had sure entered a troublesome place.

"Then what are we going to do? Wait until they come out?" The blonde teen let out a smug and complacent laugh at his own sarcasm. The captain and Yzak glared at him.

"Stop joking, Dearka. Do you want to report to the Commander with a 'I was not able to do anything' when he returns? That'd be an utter disgrace!" Joule sharply rebuked him. The joker averted his eyes after having been told off like this.

"It's not like the umbrella is always activated, right?" Nicol asked. The captain confirmed. It wasn't activated unless there were enemies around. But even if they got close while it was deactivated, it'd close again before they could get within firing range. Elsman shrugged in a 'I told you so, really, what can we do?' manner. But his younger comrade really had an idea. They all turned toward him, astonished. With his unit, the Blitz, they might succeed. Other than Phase Shift, it had another rather interesting function...

Soon, the top officer of the base received the report that the Laurassia-class was leaving. He instructed him to keep monitoring the area and ended the transmission. It was then that his aide entered. The inspection of the ship was proceeding smoothly but there was a lock on the OS of the mobile suits that they were unable to decipher. The mobile suits could not be activated. All the engineers were doing their best to crack it but it was still impossible. The commander cursed.

However, just like Artemis was monitoring the ZAFT vessel, the Gamow was also monitoring the movements of the Umbrella... there had been no change up until now. In the Blitz, Nicol was doing the final checks before his sortie, notably his mirage colloid feature. Once the systems were all green, he sighed. He would have to take a gamble and go without a single test. Will it be okay? Dearka and Yzak were watching his unit from the lounge.

"But the Earth Alliance really knows how to make some unorthodox things." The blue-eyed leader commented. His comrade replied it suited Nicol perfectly... since he was a coward. The Blitz headed to the catapult.

Rear Admiral Garcia entered the cafeteria of the Archangel with his attendant. They wanted to know the whereabouts the pilots of the mobile suits as well as their mechanics. Kira was going to stand up but he was stopped by Seren and Murdoch. He looked at them quizzically but the girl's cold and piercing eyes were fixed onto the Eurasian officers. Neumann stepped forward.

"Why are you asking us?"

"What?" The assistant menacingly grabbed the front of ship's pilot.

"Is it because the captain and the others didn't say? Or is it because you didn't ask them?" Neumann continued, unfazed, skilfully trying to uncover some information about them while withholding theirs. At this, Kira understood and remembered La Flaga telling him to lock the Strike. The commander stopped his underling from being too violent.

"I see. So you people are the elite soldiers from the Atlantic Federation chosen for this top secret project."

"What are you planning to do with the Strike and the Blast?"

"Nothing really. It's just that we've been blessed with this opportunity to view them before their unveiling. Who are the pilots?" Garcia explained himself with honeyed words and otherwise-flavoured intentions that could be keenly felt by everyone, and especially military and related personnel. Murdoch replied that it was Lieutenant La Flaga. If there was anything they wanted, they should ask him. However, his lie did not last a single second. They had also monitored the battle that had taken place. Even the commander knew that La Flaga was the only one who could pilot a Zero-type so smoothly. He then painfully grabbed Milly's arm and pulled her up. She winced. Her boyfriend bolted upright and cried her name. Murdoch kept Kira from doing the same and Seren glared even more fiercely. "I don't think a girl would be a pilot... but since this ship's captain is also a woman..." He twisted her arm and held her closer, his smirk and tone so devious it was disgusting. Seren snapped a tiny second before Kira.

"There isn't only one woman here." The dark brown haired girl stood up. "But to threaten one who obviously fears you... just how low and boorish can you get? If that is how you treat your allies, I fear for the fate of the Earth Alliance. No wonder ZAFT keeps running all over you." She posed condescendingly. The bald rear admiral lightened his grip and once more stopped his subordinate from using his fists.

"But ZAFT never got this base."

"I don't think they ever seriously tried since its strategic advantage is low. Your complacence will cause your doom." She was chuckling but her eyes were dead serious. That was the last straw, her insolence had gone overboard. The aide grabbed her but she instantly applied an arm lock to make him let go and swept his legs, making him fall. "Men should never be rude with ladies. You must be nice if you want to hope for a favorable response. Not like I'll give you any though. But isn't it easier to believe that _**I**_ am a pilot?"

As the operators of the Umbrella detected no enemy presence, they shut down the beam defense area in all directions and descended to a level 2 battle alert. That was the cue for the Blitz to launch. Nicol successfully activated his mirage colloid with a spread loss at 35%, which allowed him a maximum of 80 minutes of invisibility and undetectability. He slowly and silently headed to the asteroid.

Because of Seren's actions and words, the conflict spread. Others threatened her, Kira defended her and also named himself as a pilot. The commander did not want to believe kids like them could operate such things and particularly resented Kira, thinking he just wanted to protect the girls and was mocking him. The rear admiral tried to punch him but the boy sent him flying with a judo move and angrily told him he had no right to hit him. Against Murdoch's advice, the two resisted more. Normally, Seren would have been one to help calm her childhood friend but since they had menaced Milly... Sai tried to defend them both but was hit. Flay cried his name and told everyone to stop. What Kira and Seren were saying was true. They were the pilots! Tolle tensely said her name, hoping she would not say what she shouldn't, but it was in vain. The Eurasian officer told her to knock it off too but she wouldn't. She wasn't lying, because those two were Coordinators! Murdoch hit his own forehead. They all looked at the two teens with different eyes.

The Coordinators were taken away. And Tolle flared up at Flay for blabbering. She justified herself saying it was the truth. Tolle asked her if she didn't care what would happen to Kira and Seren. The girl got angry at the way he was calling her. Besides, these two were friends, and this was an allied base, right? Then it was ok!

"Who the HECK do you think the Earth Alliance is fighting against?! And if those guys were really our allies, they wouldn't be holding us at gunpoint!" Tolle shot back, getting more and more infuriated with Flay's appaling thick-headedness.

Kira, Seren, and the group of Eurasian officers arrived before the Strike and the Blast. They just needed to unlock the OS, right? The commander agreed, though only for starters, since they should be able to do a lot more... like analyze these things and create similar ones, or create a weapon capable of going against them...

"We're just civilians and students. We're not soldiers nor employed by the military. There's no reason why we must do such things!" The boy declared vehemently.

"But you are traitors to the Coordinators."

"Traitors?!" Kira's eyes widened while Seren's narrowed. In their minds, a familiar scene was playing. A path bordered by blooming cherry trees, and a kind, smiling blue-haired boy...

"I don't know the reason, but you did betray your kind. Then for you..."

Their Athrun who was giving them parting gifts... the Athrun who had menaced them with his combat knife in Heliopolis...

"No! We-"

"Coordinators are rare and valuable in the Earth Alliance. There's nothing to worry about. You will be forgiven... in Eurasia."

"Sorry. I'm not part of ZAFT but I don't belong to the Earth Forces either... and I have no intention to do anything that would benefit either. I piloted that mobile suit but only for my own sake." Seren told them.

"Then for your own sake, you will work for us." The bald man raised his arm. The soldiers aimed at her. The girl closed her eyes. With this, she had prevented any possibility of her friends being targeted and used against her. She smirked.

"Well, I guess it's true I should start unlocking the system. ZAFT will attack soon, I must be ready." The female Coordinator agreed. Her childhood friend sharply turned to her, his eyes wide. Of course he had disliked her taking such risks (although he knew she could get out of most situations on her own) but more importantly... what?! ZAFT will attack?! This umbrella of Artemis?! And get through?! Or maybe she was just ribbing them? He studied her more closely. She didn't didn't seem to be lying or joking. For having spent so many years with her he knew... no matter what people said, her predictions were almost prophecies. As she said, he better be ready too, just in case...

"Humph, such useless bravado again... you really don't know when to give up..."

"Is it really? I just don't think such a thing as an 'absolute defense' exists." _One of the units stolen by ZAFT has an interesting ability. It could easily slip in, unnoticed, invisible, and destroy your unprotected lightwave barrier generators after you have taken down that energy-intensive umbrella... And indeed, that attack will be the perfect diversion to escape..._ "But after all, what do I know? Even if I'm a Coordinator, I'm still just a kid who's lived a sheltered life in a peaceful country... I will unlock the OS. I don't want to be shot." Seren shrugged and boarded the Blast. Actually, for a time now, she had been spending a considerable amount of time studying the gundams that had been stolen at Heliopolis and analyzing the battle data of their pilots. But even though she was "still just a kid who's lived a sheltered life in a peaceful country" somehow, because of her aplomb, she had managed to make everyone uneasy. The commander merely snorted... There was no way he would let the ravings of a teenager – let alone one of those untrustworthy Coordinators who looked down on them – get to him.

Well, leaving their abilities aside, Seren didn't want to give them any type of information regarding these units. It was clear that their potential was far greater that initially imagined by those who came up with their concepts. Although this potential relied greatly on the pilot and could only be truly brought forth by Coordinators, it was simply overwhelming. Both machines might be prototypes but were very versatile multi-modes units. The Strike could be outfitted for high mobility, heavy assault or heavy melee combat. The gundams' operation time was limited to the charge of their ultracompact energy battery but the packs included a backup battery to extend that time.

Well, with its 17,95 meters for 69,2 metric tons, it was slightly taller and heavier than the Strike's 17,72 meters for 64,8 metric tons but that was because in its plain state, the Blast was already more equipped than the Strike... Also, the Blast's adaptability was even greater with its packs divided by range and fighting in space or on Earth. It should be noted though that this advantage was countered by the time lost putting on all the equipment. It also benefited from the special system feature as part of the X200 series – the Svalinn Shield here – that could furthermore extend the operation time by using the energy from the beams it stopped to recharge the battery (as long as the pilot was careful not to exceed the absorption capacity in the heat of battle). Well it already balanced energy-extensive weapons and shell weapons. And as a relay point between the commander unit of the Alliance's G Project – the Aegis – and the other units it had its communication and analysis capabilities slightly enhanced. It might need time to prepare but it had clearly been designed to be able to provide instant and decisive support in any situation with speed, efficiency, and firepower as soon as it got out. Another problem was that it couldn't be piloted by just anybody. For a truly proficient utilization, there were requirements needed, even more so than with the other units... The pilot had to possess a particularly sharp sense, instinct, rapid information processing and analytical skills, great adaptability, and breadth of vision, allowing for quick decisions.

Time passed, spent in anxious silence and waiting for everyone... until the Blitz was close enough and shot the defensive mechanisms. The explosions were heard and felt deep within the asteroid. The highest officer called the control room and asked what it was. However, they couldn't answer. The cause was unknown! Even now, they still couldn't detect anything! There was nothing in the area! They thought it was a long distance attack. The activation of the umbrella was ordered. The lightwave barrier generators moved and were immediately spotted and cut down. Nicol inactivated his mirage colloid, rendering his mobile suit detectable at last. The alarm resonated in the base. The crew of the Archangel became restless and menacing as they demanded explanations that their captors were unable to give. That was an attack no matter how you looked at it! Neumann roughly pushed a soldier and escaped. Fortunately, the other guards were taken down by Sai, Tolle, Chandra and another before they could shoot at him. There was no time for that! The crew hurried to the bridge and took their positions. Neumann ordered the starting up. Someone asked about the captain and the others but at this rate, they would become sitting ducks!

And in the room where the three officers were locked, La Flaga had also instantly found a way to take advantage of the situation. He was screaming that the explosion had opened up a crevice in the wall (and the air was escaping, meaning they would die soon). In a whisper, he asked the women to shout too so they'd open the door, though only Murrue obeyed. The door opened and Mu knocked the first sentry out with a hand chop on the nape and the second with a punch in the guts. The three escaped too as they didn't want to die along with Artemis.

The Blitz had entered the port and was shooting everything that stood in the way. The commander still couldn't believe that the umbrella had been destroyed. The two young mobile suits pilots also lost no time and at the first opening, kicked their guards away, closed the cockpits and moved their humanoid weapons. The commander cursed, and after he was admonished by the teens that were was no time for that as they were under attack, he cursed even more and fled. They equipped the sword striker and nova blade blast and activated their phase shift armor.

Nicol finally came in view of the Archangel, but before he could attack the ship the Strike and the Blast arrived to intercept him. His Gleipnir Anchor and Kira's Panzer Eisen rocket anchor collided harmlessly while Seren made a sweep for his legs with her Schwert Gewehr Lanze. The weapon grazed him. Sparks flew. She moved aside to avoid being shot down at point blank range.

The Duel and Buster were also quickly approaching, obviously planning to sink the fortress. The three commissioned officers of the Atlantic Federation ship quickly returned to their position on the bridge, much to their subordinates' relief and pleasure. La Flaga praised Miriallia and Sai, who asked him what was with this fortress (surely referring to – and upset about – how they had been held hostage and treated as enemies despite this being a supposedly allied base). However, they still didn't have time for explanations. They couldn't deploy their weapons here. Ramius-kanchou commanded the launching of the ship. The two mobile suits naturally were to protect her during this delicate phase. But the ZAFT soldier had his hands full. While the Strike used front attacks, the Blast kept anticipating both allied and enemy positions and movements, allowing its pilot to strategically attack or defend. It wouldn't be so difficult if it was just one of them but these two completed each other too well!

But Seren knew. Kira did not have his usual sharpness. The commander's comment about them being traitors to Coordinators had greatly upset him. He screamed. And she could hear the tears of desperation in his voice. He just wanted for everyone to leave him and his friends alone. He wanted people to stop expecting and trying to make him choose a side. He was being too emotional... she could tell by the way he moved. That was why she had to protect him. She had to stay strong, calm, and level-headed for the both of them. She would never allow him to die.

Nicol and his Blitz were being pushed to the limits of their abilities. If Yzak and Dearka did not come soon he would really be in danger. But it was strange. Something seemed off. Something about the Blast... but he could not tell exactly what. In the port, the Duel and the Buster shot mobile weapon after mobile weapon but they still hadn't found Nicol or the ship they had been chasing. The commander of the base was giving orders to shoot the ZAFT vessel. There was no way Artemis could be taken down by only one ship! It was then that a mobile armor, heavily damaged by the Buster, crashed into the control room. Everyone burned in the detonation.

Among the continuous explosions, in the smoke and heat, in a blazing inferno awfully and revoltingly similar to what Heliopolis had been right before utterly breaking down, the white Archangel made a turn about. Lieutenant Ramius ordered that the Strike and the Blast be called back immediately. They would use the opposite exit to escape from Artemis! Milly transmitted the order. Kira hesitated for a few seconds and obeyed. Seren followed, shooting the shaft as she did and letting the blasts from the explosions hinder the enemy and increase her speed. The Earth Alliance units landed on the ship. And the Archangel launched at maximum velocity, almost getting caught in the explosions as it burst forth from the tunnel and shot into the darkness of space... right in front of the powerless Blitz, Buster, and Duel. They had cornered the ship and it had escaped right before their nose.

The childhood friends left their machines. Kira completely ignored lieutenant La Flaga who had come to greet them and went past him. Seren stopped briefly, lightly bowed and apologized saying they would be sure to report later, and went after her companion. With a heavy sigh, the boy sat down on his bed before lying down on his side, facing the wall, his purple eyes closed.

"I..." He whispered, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

"Kira?" He heard Seren's voice. He did not say anything. Suddenly the young man felt a depression on the bed and her warm and comforting contact. She had sat behind him and leant against him, her head on his shoulder, her left hand on his head and her right hand holding his tightly curled right fist. "You know, I won't let what those guys said get to me. So you shouldn't either. They don't know anything about us. No matter what people think, no matter how much we are disparaged or distrusted, no matter if the dream we have is unattainable, we don't have a choice but do what we can to protect what we have. Even though I don't know the way yet, for you, for Athrun, for myself, for everyone, I promise I'll try to change the situation. So don't worry, it'll be alright. I am here. I am here." She squeezed him tighter.

* * *

The inevitable illusion, a trap of rationality. The deception pains the heart. We were so innocent as to not know war. We were almost bewildered by these grown-ups' opinions because we no longer exist as children.


	7. The choice for survival

**Phase-07: The Choice for Survival**

"You are bringing Athrun Zala to the inquiry?" Captain Ades asked as the Vesalius was preparing to dock.

"Yeah, because he was there as well. He is able to provide a calm, objective analysis." Rau Le Creuset answered.

"I understand that Orb is protesting emphatically."

"The problem is... what is important to US, Ades."

"Yes."

"Hurry with the Vesalius' repairs and resupplies. We may have been given a short break but there's no time for us to relax... Probably..." A strange smile appeared on the Commander's lips.

The bridge of the Archangel... everyone was relieved to have shaken off the Laurassia-class Gamow. Artemis had preoccupied the enemy, allowing the warship to escape practically unnoticed, which was about the only thing it could be thanked for given the way the people in the so-called allied Eurasian base had treated the personnel and civilians of the Archangel. However, nothing had been solved, since they had not been resupplied...

"Eh? Do I really have to?" Flay whined. Sai and Tolle were trying to convince her to apologize to Kira and Seren, especially Tolle, since it was a fact that because of her unnecessary blabber, they had got into a lot of trouble. "But, I was just..."

"We are used to it, but the fact that they're Coordinators poses a delicate problem in these circumstances."

"Anyway, you should at least tell them that you're sorry. Otherwise, you won't feel comfortable being on the same ship with them, right? Like when you pass each other."

"If Sai says so, I'll do it..." She **reluctantly** gave in.

"But I wonder what will happen to this ship..."

"Yeah. In the end, we didn't get resupplied at Artemis. ZAFT's probably going to come after us again."

Rau Le Creuset and Athrun Zala, entered a shuttle. The Commander immediately saluted the man who had been sitting there. And after his initial shock, the young red uniform saluted too.

"Please permit us to travel with you, chairman of the National Defense Committee, Your Excellency, Senator Zala." The blonde officer requested. The senator raised his hand in a gesture of peace.

"There is no need for formalities. I am not on this shuttle. Understood, Athrun?"

"Understood, father. It has been a while." The boy replied unemotionally. And so, the shuttle left the Vesalius. And having read his son's report, Patrick Zala agreed with him. The problem was that the Earth Alliance had developed such advanced mobile suits. The pilots did not matter. So he had gone ahead and deleted that section. Athrun turned to him, surprised. Le Creuset thanked him. He had known he would choose to do so. The young pilot looked from one to the other, obviously puzzled.

"Of course. Just think of the reactions if we told them that the machines we left behind are piloted by Coordinators. It would give the moderate faction something to waste time arguing over." Indeed, if only Coordinators could pilot those mobile suits to such a level, then there would be no need to take drastic measures against the Earth Alliance. If Coordinators were actually siding with the ones who should have been their sworn enemy, the Earth Forces... against ZAFT, against the PLANTs... then the possibility of cohabitation should be considered once more... but one exception did not invalidate a rule. Those two pilots were just anomalies to be dispatched. There was no time for foolish peace talks.

"It must have been difficult for you to report that your own friends have joined the Earth Forces..." The Commander turned to Athrun who was sitting behind him.

"Ah... no, but..."

"Those people created mobile suits that have this much power even when piloted by Naturals. Do you understand, Athrun?"

"Yes..." Of course, he did not want people to think of his precious friends as traitors to their cause. But somehow with this conversation, he felt he stepped stepped into a territory far bigger and more complicated than he could have imagined and of which he understood extremely little. Besides... Heliopolis burning, the moment when he had seen them for the first time after so many years, after he had shot that female officer and charged at them with his knife, ready to kill. Seren who had leapt forth to protect Kira. And Kira who had remained at that wounded woman's side. The moment they had recognized each other and frozen. The moment time had stopped for the three of them... Even though he had missed them so much, why did they have to reunite in such a way...?

"We have to take it more seriously now. To end this war as quickly as possible."

Tolle choked on his food and asked for water. His girlfriend gave him her glass which barely had a third of liquid left. He asked for more. Sai told him to stop. There was no time for manga-like gags. The brown haired boy retorted that it was not a gag. Sai sat next to his fiancée who scooted away from him. He scooted closer to her. This game went on for some time until he asked what was wrong. She whined again like a five-year-old kid that because of the water restrictions, she had not been able to take a shower. They all looked at her as if wondering whether she was alright in her head. There she went again with that carefree spoilt princess personality. How could she worry about that given the circumstances? Her promised heaved a deep sigh and readjusted his glasses. It was then that Kira and Seren came in. They had just finished with the maintenance of the Strike and the Blast. The boy was dressed in the standard blue uniform of the crewman 2nd class, like his fellow male students. The girl had the white and dark Thulian pink uniform jacket, a sea green skirt, long black leggings, and white and pink ankle boots. Well, they had practically finished. It was just that it was a pain that they couldn't clean the parts with the washing machine. Flay sighed as if troubled to have two such warmongers here. But they didn't do it because they liked it. If the maintenance was bad, it could cost them their lives. Sai nudged Flay who stood up and walked over to the Coordinators.

"Um, Kira, Seren. I'm sorry for earlier!" She bowed suddenly and straightened herself again. "I said that without thinking."

""That"?"

"At Artemis, when I said you were Coordinators..."

"Ah, don't worry about that. I don't really mind. It's true after all." Kira smiled good-heartedly. Flay thanked him and turned to Seren.

"Indeed, Kira is right." The hazel eyed girl agreed. Flay was even more relieved. "And it's also true that you could have gotten us killed. Maybe you were too incredibly stupid to be able to grasp the situation or maybe you didn't care what would happen to us Coordinators, or even both." Seren spoke calmly and firmly with a sad and pleading expression, without condemnation. She really hated to think and speak that way of a person regarded so fondly by her treasured friends. But she had to clearly expose situation, to make her understand. However, regardless of her tone, her words had been too blunt. And she felt herself the center of the boys' reprobation, especially Kira, who yelled her name.

"That's...!" Flay began.

"Kira, spoil her any more than that and she'll turn rotten. I know she wanted to help Sai and that was great of her. But that was a matter of life and death for us. She needs to properly undertand that point. Also, Flay, I'm sorry but I can only accept excuses when they are truly heartfelt. Even though you didn't want to since you had just said the truth, you apologized only because Sai and Tolle asked you, right? I don't need any empty apology. You don't have to force yourself now. It's fine if you can just comprehend what you've done and think more before you act. So, I'll wait until you can speak from your own heart." She smiled earnestly. Flay kept quiet. Seren went to the Natural boys and bowed deeply. "Sai, Tolle, for Kira's sake, thank you for your concern and your efforts to try to make everything go well. I'm very grateful to you. However, it's fine with me. I prefer that she keeps telling me the truth, even a painful one, instead of honeyed lies for the sake of appearances. I'm sorry if I hurt you all but I can't help finding someone who's openly and straightforwardly hostile more trustworthy than someone who hides her dislike behind her smiles. I want to be able to trust her like I trust you, and conversely. And trust can't exist without honesty. And so, for you guys... pretending or sugar-coating my words are things I cannot do. I'm sorry." She remained like this for a time, her torso parallel to the floor. She hated hurting them, but more than that, she couldn't lie to herself or to them. And for that same reason, being lied to was something she could not tolerate, not from someone who would call herself a friend.

Before, on Heliopolis, it would have been fine since they didn't have much contact. But now things had changed. They were all practically living together like some huge family and given her relationship to Sai and how Milly and Kira felt for her, things couldn't remain as they were. They had to be clear, find out each other's limits...

Suddenly, she felt a hand on both her shoulders. Sai and Tolle apologized too. She didn't need to be so stuck up. They knew her personality, and understood her. They had expected something like this to happen. It was just that... well...

Flay glared at her. What was that? That attitude even though she was apologizing... and that Coordinator going out of her way to make her seem like the bad girl... and make herself appear like a saint... her blue eyes narrowed and became fiercer. But again, she had misinterpreted Seren's personality. Seren was not one to actually make the effort to go out of her way for someone she didn't particularly like. And for someone she wanted to try to like, she was completely honest with the good and bad things alike... because there could be no real relationship without trust, and no trust without honesty.

But still, what was going to happen from now on? After all, they still had not resupplied...

Seren was walking alone in the hallways. Kira was resting, the others were at the bridge and Flay... who knew? She was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice the laughing and running behind her until something crashed against her legs and almost made her fall. She turned to see a heap of kids on the ground, rubbing themselves. They apologized and a doting smile appeared on her face. It was fine to play around but they should be more careful... or so she had been going to say until Athrun's face flashed in her mind, his blue hair in the wind among the cherry blossoms, the softness of his expression, the tenderness in his eyes, his fine features, his comforting voice and words... and then he had gone... and he had found them again, as a soldier, as a ZAFT mobile suit pilot, he had attacked her home, he had menaced them with that knife... and even now... Her frozen smile turned into a sad one.

_"Don't be so naïve! This is war! And you belong with us! Come with me..."_

Why she wouldn't go with him... what she was fighting for...

The young woman knelt down.

"Nee, if you run around so much you might bother the adults so how about we all go into a room together with all the children? If you tell me your wishes, we can make them into a song. I'm sure it would make everyone feel better." She suggested. And watching their genuine happiness, she felt the lump in her heart lighten and dissolve a little. And it wasn't very long before their voices started resounding. Seren felt comforted and her resolve reinforced and knew everyone was the same as her. She wanted to protect those children's pure and innocent smiles because they made her feel that everything would be okay, that she could make it okay... they gave her hope, the hopes they had for the future, and she wanted to give voice to them and share them with everyone. It was a very simple song... about losing and picking back, parting and meeting again, about green grass and tumbling with animals, about the good things that happened and their wish for a tomorrow with other good things. It was about the feeling of being together with your friends and how it turned into wings able to make you fly, getting into fights, crying, being unable to apologize, how it was useless to scream and cry inside your heart unless you put it into words, how money couldn't buy friends, how they missed the ones they had parted with, how they liked their new friends, and even if they had nothing, the important was to be with everyone... and laugh together with a loud voice. It was... a prayer... for everyone to listen to their dreams...

Natarle complained when she saw on the simulator the possible routes they could take. Wasn't there a better one? Neumann told her it was impossible. If they strayed too close to Earth, they would end up in the Debris Belt, although they would get to the moon's orbit faster this way.

"We can't break through...can we?" Ramius inquired despite knowing the answer. The pilot (Neumann) vehemently denied the possibility. If they headed in there at their current velocity, this ship would become debris as well!

"A mountain of waste created by humans since they gained the ability to move freely in and out of space..." Mu La Flaga trailed off pensively. "It's true I don't want to become part of- wait... the Debris Belt, eh... I'm a man who makes the impossible possible." He smiled and stood up.

"And next, on the first anniversary of Junius 7, Senator Clyne of the Supreme Council has made this statement:" – "This tragic event has left us with a deep sorrow we will never forget." News of the press conference was playing in the elevator where Rau was sitting, reading a report, and Athrun standing by his side, on stand-by.

"Speaking of which, that girl is your fiancée, isn't she?" The commander asked him, referring to the beautiful girl with long wavy pink hair and kind blue eyes standing obediently, quietly, and elegantly at her father's side. The boy confirmed after a slight fumble. "Lacus-jou is the representative of the memorial delegation. That's most impressive." The man praised. The red uniform agreed soberly. "The marriage between you two who inherited the bloodline of Senator Zala and Senator Clyne... it's certain to become a glorious beacon for the next generation. We're looking forward to it." Athrun thanked him, his tone formal and unemotional. "We must protect that era." Le Creuset declared. The young pilot lightly hung his head and his eyebrows knitted ever so slightly.

And so, the special inquiry regarding the destruction of Heliopolis in the territory of the Orb Union began. Rau Le Creuset was first to report.

"Resupply?!" The teens on the bridge of the Archangel exclaimed. "Can we get it? Where?"

"Well... rather than getting it, it more like we'll be taking it ourselves at our convenience." Mu corrected them. From his expression, it was obvious something didn't sit well with him concerning the solution they had found. The same was for all the present officers. But it didn't seem like there were any choice in the matter.

"We'll be taking from the wrecked ships in the Debris Belt, right?" Seren evoked with an expression that could kill. Her friends turned to her with exclamations of shocked disbelief before looking insistently at the ranked ones for confirmation. Only Sai had this feeling that it was indeed as she had said.

"Exactly! As expected of Seren. You're a sharp one! But please don't look at us that way. You know we've got no choice. If we don't, WE are not gonna last." La Flaga began in a fake light hearted tone before staring back at her, no longer smiling at all. The girl averted her eyes and her fierce expression melted into sadness. He was right. She knew it... but still!

"I want you guys to help out by operating the pods outside the ship." The captain informed them.

"We're not too happy about it either but we don't have a choice if we want to survive." Natarle added.

"We're not trying to disturb the dead or fish around for lost items." Ramius continued softly, trying to appease and convince the children. "We're just trying to take a little bit of what we're in immediate need of. In order to survive."

"Thus concludes the report, and I hope you can understand that our purpose was never to attack Heliopolis itself. And the responsibility for the collapse lies in fact with the Earth Forces." Le Creuset saluted and went to sit down. The senators did not miss the opportunity to lay all the blame on Orb. They had been cooperating with the Earth Alliance after all. THEY were the ones who ignored the treaty. Eileen Canaver tried to temperate them by reminding them what Representative Athha had said... in vain. Her peers mocked her. There was no way words from people who lived on Earth could be trusted. Patrick Zala stood up.

"But Commander Le Creuset, those Earth Alliance mobile suits... were they truly worth all the sacrifices made in order to obtain them?" He questioned. The Commander stood up too.

"Regarding their outstanding power and abilities, I've brought a pilot who has not only operated one of those units but also battled the two we failed to take. I think you should hear Athrun Zala on this matter." The white uniform suggested. After a moment, Senator Clyne allowed it. The young pilot stood up, walked forth, saluted, and began by presenting the features of the Aegis and the six other units. When he was finished, the whole Supreme Council was appalled. Some started cursing the Naturals for creating such horrendous things. Once more, Eileen tried to tone things down by pointing out that they were still in the prototype phase. And there were only 6. What danger did they pose? Yzak's mother argued that at this point, they were only one step away from mass production. Was it alright then to wait and panic once it was too late? This clearly indicated the Naturals' true intentions! They wanted to further escalate this war! The council grew more and more tumultuous until Chairman Siegel Clyne silenced them. No one heard Le Creuset snort mockingly or saw the strange smile that had appeared on his lips, not even Athrun sitting at his side and watching the upset among the PLANTs' highest executives with an anxious expression.

"No one wishes for war. Who among us actually hopes to be on the battlefield? To live in peace, happiness, and serenity. That is all we wished for. But who ruthlessly shattered that wish? Who deprived us of our freedom and continued to use us Coordinators for their own convenience and greed? We will never forget that Bloody Valentine, the attack on Junius 7." Patrick Zala declared. Junius 7... one of the few agricultural colonies that helped PLANT grow its own food, allowing the Zodiac Alliance to become self-sufficient. Three days after the outbreak of war between PLANT and the Earth Alliance, on February 14, the Agamemnon-class carrier Roosevelt, covertly loaded with a nuclear missile by a group of Blue Cosmos members within the Alliance military, left the Moon, headed for the "Junius City" area of the Zodiac Alliance for what was intended as a show of force. During a fierce battle between the defending ZAFT ships and the Roosevelt and her escorts, a nuclear missile was fired and hit Junius Seven. The blast caused the colony to break apart, killing 243,721 Coordinators, most of whom were civilians, among which Senator Zala's wife and Athrun's mother: Lenore Zala.

The Strike and the Blast had left the Archangel, along with a number of pods. But soon after they had entered the Debris Belt, the youths saw something that froze their blood in their veins more than the coldness of space ever could. All this agricultural machinery... these pieces of land... it couldn't be... Junius 7...?! The captain of the Archangel-class stood up, as dismayed and bewildered as the teens, her eyes wide, her mouth open, her hand before it...

"243 721 lives... A year has passed since we lost so many comrades in that abominable incident. And still, we've endured, making only the minimal demands in an attempt to end this war as quickly as possible." Senator Zala went on. "However, those Naturals have put our efforts to waste, time and time again!"

Natarle in a space suit opened a door. Milly screamed, turned, and shut her eyes tight after seeing what was inside. A long haired woman holding her baby. The bodies were floating around other objects. They seemed to be in the child's room. Tolle comforted his crying girlfriend. Kira and Seren hung their heads and gritted their teeth. The ensign lit her torchlight and looked around.

Athrun's father raised his fist. "We fight to protect ourselves. If we cannot protect ourselves without fighting, then we have no choice but to fight!" While a number of people agreed, the moderates like Clyne and Canaver lowered their heads and sighed resignedly. They were a minority.

"Use the water over there?!" Kira and Seren exclaimed, outraged, distressed, upset. "Are you serious?!" For the two of them, this went beyond the 'normal' moral dilemma. And not just because they too were Coordinators... this touched them personally. That place was also Lenore's – Athrun's mother's – resting place!

"There's close to a hundred millions tons of ice here."

"But you saw for yourself Natarle-san! That PLANT is where hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives! And yet...!" The boy insisted. The captain gently reasoned that it was the only place where water had been found. Her fellow lieutenant went to her aid. No one was jumping in joy or screaming 'Hurray, we found water'.

"Nobody wants to step into that place if we can avoid it. But we have no choice. We're alive! That means we have to stay alive!" He pointed at his chest with his thumb, his blue eyes narrowed in determination. Even though the adults knew that they could not afford soft-heartedness in such circumstances, that did not mean they had no heart. And they were trying to make the children understand. After a long and heavy silence, Seren finally agreed. Her friends tried to protest against this betrayal but she silenced them with a look, their breath caught in their throat, their chests tightened, for her moist hazel eyes reflected all the pain, sorrow, and resolve she felt. They all hung their heads. She had one condition, though.

The council members exited the room. At the entrance, a guard and Athrun were saluting them. Senator Clyne greeted the boy and told him there was no need for formalities. The teen (who had always been a rather awkward and self-restrained person) stammered a little, obviously uneasy about addressing someone familiarly... and especially his current interlocutor. They walked away to the relief of the fossil of a winged whale, Evidence 01. The first evidence of extraterrestrial life of intelligence discovered by the first Coordinator. The chairman was lamenting. Just when Athrun had finally returned, this time it was Lacus who was away at work. Just when would they be able to make some time to see each other? The young elite soldier apologized. Although the senator laughed slightly and told him there was no reason to apologize to him. That said, it looked like things were going to get hectic again. And he also understood what his father was saying.

Then the red uniform was called by his commanding officer who was followed by his father. They were going to track down that newly-made ship and those mobile suits. They would leave in 72 hours. Le Creuset and Athrun left. Patrick joined Siegel before the fossil.

"We don't have much time left. Why are we extending the war for no purpose?" Clyne asked.

"That is exactly why we cannot forgive them. Those who get in our way."

On every public screen of the PLANTS, Lacus Clyne started singing her gentle song with her soft voice. A song and a voice to heal and appease everyone's anxious and wounded hearts... Shizukana yoru ni – in a quiet night - A song about disappearing smiles, distance, falling stars, compassion, and the hope to meet again. Athrun drove his Commander to his destination.

In the Archangel, Seren had recruited the children to make paper flowers as per her condition. She had gotten especially close with an adorable little girl with golden brown pigtails, clear blue eyes, a light yellow top, and pink overalls. She was so pure each time Seren saw her she would transform into a completely doting big sis barely able to let go...which was why Elle-chan had to remain on her lap during the confection of the flowers that could not wither... even if they had to stay near Flay who constantly needed help. The Heliopolis students helped too.

Milly let go of her arms full of flowers. They floated into the wrecked colony. All the staff was standing, their heads down, their eyes closed, many had their fists against their hearts. No matter how trivial the gesture may seem, the profoundness of their feelings was real. Their respect, their regrets, their sorrow, their thanks, their apologies.

Athrun placed a bouquet a flowers on his mother's grave. And kneeling down, he remembered his father's words... 'We fight to protect ourselves. If we cannot protect ourselves without fighting, then we have no choice but to fight.' He stood up and left.

The pods were sawing through the ice and conveying them to the ship with the two gundams were patrolling around. For the water, they still needed about four hours, but for the ammunition they would be done within one. It was then that Kira noticed a recently shot down civilian vessel... and appearing behind it... an enforced reconnaissance GINN. If it found the Archangel and called for reinforcement, they would be finished! He locked on the target but didn't shoot, silently and desperately begging it to leave without noticing anything. And for a moment, that's exactly what happened. The boy sighed in great relief... before a second later, a pod transporting material passed right before him. The GINN remarked it and returned.

"Stupid idiot!" Kira yelled in despair. "Why did you have to see it?!" He locked on the ZAFT mobile suit again but hesitated. Kuzzey and Chandra, who were in the vehicle, had noticed it too, and that they were being locked on by it. Kira was still hesitating. The GINN fired. The shoot ricocheted off one of the loaded boxes. The impact shook the pod and violently pushed it. They screamed. The Strike fired and hit the shoulder. The enemy machine aimed at him. The boy pressed the button again, in the same time as Seren who had seen the commotion from afar and came to help. And the GINN and its pilot were destroyed. The sights retracted. Gritting her teeth, crying, Seren violently struck the sides of her cockpit her fists. Kira raised his trembling hands, in shock at what he had done. They had never felt it so keenly before. They had killed someone, and not in the heat of battle, not as an indirect consequence... That was a decision they had taken... in order to protect their comrades. And nothing could alleviate their pain and guilt, not the heartfelt thanks of those comrades, not the knowledge that their decision had been 'rational' and 'justified', which sounded just like an excuse... nothing. They cut off La Flaga who was asking what was wrong by pressing the button cutting all communications. They turned their hands into fists and hit the panel, tears streaming from his eyes. But then, Kira felt himself, or rather the Strike being shaken. He looked up and saw the Blast. It stepped back a little and hit its own chest with its fist. That was right. Seren had fired and hit too. There was nothing they could do to console the other since both felt the exact same things. But at least, they were not alone. They shared the pain, they shared the guilt, they shared the burden, and the feeling of powerlessness to be unable to protect those they cared about without having to fight... and kill.

Suddenly, they received a signal. It was a life pod. And so, some time later, in one of the Archangel's hangar...

"Looks like you really like to pick up things..." Natarle sighed, slightly aggravated. Seren nodded. She rather agreed with the ensign on that. Kira had always been like that. How many times had he picked up abandoned pets? How much trouble did he go through to find them new homes? Well, that was one of his good sides, but still!

The captain was there too, and all the Heliopolis students (who had donned a uniform), and a few guards who pointed at the pod when Murdoch warned them he was opening it. He typed a little on a panel and the compartment opened. To everyone's surprise and wonder, a small, round, and pink robot came out and hovered around, moving two sides like flappable ears. What more, it seemed to have two little black eyes, and it talked 'Hello, hello. Hello, Lacus!" The people turned back to the pod when they heard a soft and polite female voice.

"Thank you. Thank you for your hard work." A girl said, coming out of the pod. She had long wavy pink hair, a golden hair clip, kind blue eyes, soft, beautiful features; and was dressed in a white collared top, white flowing sleeves, and a long flowing orchid and violet skirt. She was smiling.

* * *

What is left behind when people pass on? At times, the past is a heavy shackle. There are things that we must not lose. To protect them, any small thing before us... we could have thrown away. Because of that, not knowing all that we would lose, we continued to protect our small selves.


	8. The Enemy's songstress

**Phase-08: The Enemy's songstress**

"Thank you. Thank you for your hard work." A girl said, coming out of the pod. She had long wavy pink hair, a golden hair clip, kind blue eyes, and was dressed in a white collared top, white flowing sleeves, and a long flowing orchid and violet skirt. She was smiling. She floated over them... until she noticed she couldn't control her course and was troubled. Kira helped her down. She thanked him and remarked the badge on his uniform. The badge of the OMNI enforcers that was on everyone's uniforms. "Oh my, this isn't a ZAFT ship?" She inquired, shocked, cupping one of her own cheeks. That said, she did not appear unduly scared for her own life or security. Everyone nodded. Natarle hit her own forehead, and even the captain was rather incredulous. No matter how they looked at her all they could see was a naïve, clueless, slow-minded airhead...

A military base in PLANT – Athrun was taking a shower and remembering his father and mother when he heard the intercom ringing. He turned the tap, quickly dried himself, put on a bathrobe and a towel on his head. He pressed a button and a woman in uniform appeared and informed him that the Vesalius would depart the next morning, 08:00 hours, 35 hours earlier than scheduled, and all personal were to assemble and board the ship one hour prior to the departure. She requested his acknowledgement. He repeated the message and added 'Athrun Zala, understood', and terminated the communication. He switched the computer on and walked away. On his desk were tools and parts for the making of a blue haro whose outer appearance was already finished. The news started playing.

"Onboard was Miss Lacus Clyne, representative of the memorial ceremony. Every effort is being made to confirm their safety." At this the boy returned and got closer to the screen, very worried. "I repeat. The ship heading toward Junius 7 for the preparation of the memorial service, the Silverwind, disappeared last night." Athrun recoiled, filled with shock and dread.

Lacus Clyne was in a room, being interrogated by the three commanding officers of the Archangel. She was sitting on a chair with a glass of water on the desk. She thanked them for having recovered her safety pod and introduced herself before introducing her friend Haro. The captain heaved a deep sigh. Mu hid part of his face in his right hand, apparently very tired. It seemed like that girl didn't have the slightest clue of how truly grave her situation was. Just how could that be? Sai, Tolle, Kuzzey, Chandra, and Jackie Tonomura were trying to eavesdrop – with Kira and Seren further away in the corridor – when Ensign Badgiruel opened the door. She scolded them and ordered them to return to work. They hurried to comply. Through the space, the pink-haired girl noticed the two other Coordinators, smiled, and waved. Kira was surprised, and as he had no idea how to act or react around her, he just left. Seren bowed slightly in acknowledgement and followed. Although she felt she was more than what she would let on, she hadn't sensed anything bad from that girl. Quite the contrary in fact. So for now things were fine as they were, right? At least SHE was fine with her. However, she also anticipated that it wouldn't be so well with a certain other person...

In the room, La Flaga remembered that the chairman of the PLANT's Supreme Council was called Siegel Clyne. Lacus was just (genuinely) glad that he knew of her father. The two lieutenants despaired again. A Coordinator, and even more so the daughter of such an important person... for her to smile like that... had it ever occurred to her that she could be horribly treated? Manipulated? Used? Killed? The captain asked how come she had been in the Debris Belt. She answered very politely. She had obviously had a most excellent upbringing for a young Lady. She had come to do a preparatory audit for the memorial ceremony on Junius 7 but her ship had encountered Earth Alliance ships. While informed that they were facing a civilian ship, it seemed the Earth Alliance disliked the reason they were here. It eventually turned into a quarrel inside her ship. Then the people around her put her into a pod and made her escape. The girl didn't know what had happened to her ship after that and only hoped that the Earth Alliance had calmed down. She was clearly worried about the people who had helped her... and about her whole ship. However, judging from their expressions and the circumstances, the adults were were pratically sure that ship had been destroyed. And they felt sorry for her and for them.

While Kira and Seren had returned into the Debris Belt with their machines, the Vesalius was almost ready to launch. The personnel had assembled and were to immediately proceed to gate 11 for boarding. Athrun exited an elevator and floated away with his suitcase. He soon noticed his father and Commander talking. He saluted as he passed them by when his parent called him back...

"Athrun, you've heard about Lacus-jou, haven't you?" Patrick asked him.

"Yes..." Then he turned to Le Creuset. "But Captain... Vesalius' change in schedule isn't for that, right?"

"My, my, you're a cold man. Of course, we're going to search for her." The Captain smiled.

"But we're still not sure that something bad has happened. It's a civilian vessel anyway."

"Although we didn't announce this, an Enforced Reconnaissance type GINN from Unrou's team that we've sent to investigate hasn't returned yet." Senator Zala informed his son, making him more worried.

"Junius 7 has been pulled by the Earth's gravity and is now in the Debris Belt. It's in a troublesome spot and the Gamow has lost track of the Legged ship at Artemis." Rau added. Athrun immediately caught on.

"All of PLANT knows that you and Lacus-jou are destined to be together. So it wouldn't make sense if Le Creuset Team, which you're part of, is taking a rest here." Patrick insisted. His son tried to protest. "She's an idol. Take care of her, Le Creuset, Athrun."

"Yes, sir." Both answered at the same time and saluted as the senator started leaving.

"Rescue her and come back like a hero. Is that what it's all about?" The boy confirmed once his father was out of earshot.

"Or bring her corpse back wailing all the way." His Captain suggested. There was also the possibility of the tragic hero... Athrun sharply turned back to him, appalled and fearful. Was Lacus, even Lacus, who was promised to him, a girl, an idol every body loved, considered as just a tool to escalate this war? "Regardless, Senator Zala thinks it would be inappropriate if you didn't go." Le Creuset left. The red uniform watched him, his green eyes narrowed.

The Archangel slowly flew away from the ruins of Junius 7. Naturals like the captain, Miriallia, or Tolle (who was holding his girlfriend reassuringly) and a few others watched the devastation on screen with mixed emotions. The two mobile suits pilots had holed themselves in their gundams and Lacus was not allowed out of her room. Haro hopped around and asked if she was alright. She motioned to him and he hopped on her lap.

"Let's pray together, Haro... so that the souls may rest in peace."

Kira was walking toward the cafeteria, deep in thought. He was recalling the GINN he had destroyed. It had been looking around civilian ships. Could it be that... He couldn't finish... if it had truly been searching for Lacus' ship... then... Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder and another on his fist. He turned to see Seren.

"Kira, I know what you're thinking but please calm down." And in her hazel eyes, he could see her most earnest plea. It was then they heard Flay's violent refusal and Milly crying her name in an offended tone. Geez, she was always making a scene and causing problems... what was it this time?! They entered to see the girls arguing. The red-haired kept refusing stubbornly and Milly asked her why. The enhanced humans asked Kuzzey what it was about. He sighed and told them it concerned the food for that girl. Milly wanted Flay to bring it to her and Flay...

"I don't want to! It's scary to go to a place that has a Coordinator!"

"Flay!" The short haired girl whispered warningly after having glanced at the two Coordinators in the room. She had noticed Kira's reaction. Although he had tried to hide how the comment had hurt him, he had involuntarily frowned. Seren had remained equanimous though. That was Flay after all. Flay who noticed them and immediately put up her half-hearted cute sorry act and corrected herself. "Ah, o-of course that doesn't include Kira and Seren." She turned to Milly again and her face hardened. "I understand that much. But that girl is from ZAFT, right? A Coordinator isn't just smart, they also have excellent reflexes. What would happen if something goes wrong, right?" She turned to Kira in hope to get his sympathy. The boy looked around frantically, not knowing what to do or say. Seren heaved a deep sigh.

"It is incredibly immature to judge someone on what they are and not who they are. And you won't know if you won't try. Milly wanted you to go because she hoped to change your prejudiced opinion on Coordinators, and incidentally, allow you to make yourself useful for once instead of whining to no end as usual and throwing tantrums like you're currently doing. Also Coordinators are not born as killing machines. Being able to fight requires training for every single person in the universe. And Lacus is an idol, meaning she's as much of a soldier as you are. Her job is to sing and be nice and pretty." Seren was feeling like an adult trying to reason with a difficult child.

"I don't think that girl will suddenly attack you either." Kuzzey agreed.

"You don't know that. You can't tell from their looks what a Coordinator can really do." Flay insisted stubbornly, glaring at them.

"It's not about looks but personality and countenance. It just isn't her character at all to do something like that. Has my intuition ever been wrong? Besides she's alone on an enemy ship, I doubt she's stupid enough to pull such a stunt. Personality-wise you'd be the one most likely to threaten and attack her." Seren continued. The girl was affected (but not hurt) by the blow for a second, she wanted to deny it, but it felt like the guess had been spot-on. She glared more fiercely.

"Th-that doesn't change the fact that there's no guarantee, does it? What would you do if she's really strong?"

"My... who's really strong?" A soft and polite voice questioned them before anyone had the time to answer. They turned and were shocked to see Lacus standing there, smiling sweetly.

"Hello, are you well? You too!" Haro chirped at her feet.

"And I thought we just solved our supply problems... this time it's the pink-haired princess. There's no end to our worries, huh, Captain-dono?" La Flaga passed by Murrue and leant against a bar, doing a military salute. The captain closed her brown eyes and opened them again. She indeed appeared very troubled. At this rate, it looked like they would have no other choice but to bring her to the Moon HQ with them. But she was worried about what would happen to her if they did. She was a civilian... "They'll give her a big welcome of course. After all, she's Clyne's daughter. There are many ways they can use her." Tolle, Neumann, and Badgiruel, who had just arrived, and everyone else were listening attentively. But if possible, Ramius didn't want to let that happen to her. She was a civilian... and such a young girl...

"If you say that, then what about these guys?" The ensign questioned her, evidently referring to the Heliopolis students who had taken over various posts on the bridge and even as war machines' pilots. "Those who are helping us operate this ship. They were brought on board this ship and joined battles. They're civilian children as well." She reminded her.

"Ensign Badgiruel, that's..."

"Although inevitable, you made Kira Yamato, Seren Ashford and the others participate in the war. And now you don't want that girl only to be involved. Is that what you are saying?" Natarle insisted, clearly viewing such sentiments as absurd. "That girl is Clyne's daughter. That means she isn't just any ordinary civilian." The two women stared at each other.

In the cafeteria, Lacus Clyne apologized for having surprised everyone. It was just that she had gotten thirsty, and very hungry as well. She would be very happy if she could have something to eat. The teens who had remained frozen in shock snapped back to reality. Kuzzey couldn't believe they had left her door unlocked.

"No way, I don't understand! Why is a ZAFT girl walking around without permission?!" Flay, her hand on her cheek, appalled, outraged, demanded.

"Maybe it's because you took so much time squabbling like a child like you have nothing better to do instead of doing as asked?!" Seren imitated her exaggerated pose and tone. "Wait! You really do have nothing better to do!" She dramatically put both hands on her cheeks. But when Flay fiercely glared at the mocking girl, she had already turned around and was acting innocent. Well, she usually never acted like this with anyone. It was just with Flay. But that was obviously not the point here!

"Oh, I didn't get out without permission. I properly asked while I was in the room 'Is it okay for me to come out?' And I did that three times. Besides, I don't belong to ZAFT. ZAFT is the name of the army. It's officially known as the Zodiac Alliance of Freedom-"

"You're all the same! All Coordinators!"

"We are not the same." Lacus said kindly and patiently. "Though I am a Coordinator, I'm not military personnel." She looked at the Natural girl's clothing, a frilly baby pink dress... definitely not a soldier-like uniform. "You are not military personnel either, right? If so then we are the same. Sorry for the late greeting. My name is-" She smiled gently. But just as she approached and extended her hand for the greeting, Flay recoiled in pure revulsion, her hands behind her back.

"Hey! I don't want it, stop it! Don't mess with me! Why do I have to shake the hand of someone like you?! Don't act like we're friends even though you're a Coordinator!" She violently yelled, looking at the pink-haired girl like she could not execrate her more. Everyone gasped. Seren felt something crack horribly inside her. The pain was almost physical... it was nauseating, like she was going to throw up blood. Even though she had been aware of Flay's wariness and hostility towards Coordinators, to think it was to THAT extent... And she knew it was the same for Kira. She closed her eyes and smiled sweetly.

"Thank you Flay, for being so honest with us. It's the first time I hear you speak so truly of your feelings. If you don't see us Coordinators as your friends, then us Coordinators will take our leave. We wouldn't want you to be tainted by abominations of nature like us that shouldn't even exist." Seren had spoken very calmly, but by the end, her tone had taken a bitingly icy edge. And when she opened her usually warm hazel eyes to glance at her, their light had become extremely glacial... enough to freeze even her friends' blood. She took the 'prisoner's' tray as well as her own and left. Kira and Lacus following her after one last look at the Naturals.

When they were gone, Kuzzey asked Flay – who was still angry - whether she was part of Blue Cosmos. Milly sighed. Flay vehemently denied it but readily admitted being a sympathizer of their ideals. Humans genetically engineered even though they weren't sick or anything... The very concept went against Nature. Their existence was wrong. And she insisted. In fact, they were all thinking the same, right? She turned to Kuzzey and Milly for approval. They said nothing and kept their heads down. They couldn't deny what she had said, and they couldn't agree either.

The Coordinators arrived at Lacus' room. Soon after leaving the cafeteria, Seren had slowed her pace, and in the same time, her anger had started mixing with sadness. She had had an inkling... but really... to think they were despised and hated this much... No, she had not prepared her heart as much as she had thought. But after all, the one who had suffered the most was Kira... Lacus, although very sad too, felt rather fine. She was probably the strongest out of them. It was with heavy hearts that they entered the room. Seren put down the tray.

"I have to stay here again, don't I?" The blue-eyed girl inquired politely, though a little down.

"Yes, it seems so." Kira answered regretfully.

"This is boring. I'm alone all the time even though I want to talk with everyone." Clyne twirled a little and sat down.

"Because this is an Earth Alliance ship." The boy justified. The other girl was staring at the food without seeing it. She still had not piped a word. "There are people who don't like Coordinators. And besides, we are enemies."

"What a pity." Lacus seemed to truly deplore it. "But you two are very kind. Thank you." She smiled wholeheartedly. Both pilots were taken aback. She was just so free from deceit and hypocrisy... the boy blushed and looked down. It was like a pure, warm and soft radiance emanated from that girl.

"B-because we're Coordinators too." He stuttered.

"And besides, I'm not kind. You saw, didn't you?" Seren could not help but contradict her, although it only sounded like a last defense.

"No, you are kind. You are kind because you are truly sad about that girl." Lacus affirmed strongly but gently. The other female averted her eyes, no longer able to controvert her.

Miriallia exited the cafeteria just as Tolle was joining her. She took her boyfriend away and told him about what had happened.

On the bridge, a crewmember called the captain over. There was no mistake. He had detected a secret code pulse from the Earth Alliance's 8th Fleet! Natarle who had just returned hurried to them and asked if he could decipher it. He managed after a time.

"This is... battleship... from the 8th Fleet... Montgomery... Arch... angel... can you... hear me?"

"It's a fleet flying under Rear Admiral Halberton!" Lieutenant Ramius exclaimed. She had not looked so happy and relieved in a very long time, and the same was for everyone on the bridge. They all joined the captain. They might still be a long distance away, but the fleet had been searching for them! And maybe they could rendezvous somewhere and finally relax a bit!

Kira exited Lacus' room. However, the door had barely closed that it opened again and Seren took him away. Her hazel eyes bore straight into his purple ones.

"Kira, no matter what anyone says you must never be ashamed to be a Coordinator. Because that would be denying who you are, that would be denying me, that guy, and the hopes our parents entrusted to us by making us this way. And even if it's you, I would never forgive that." She stared at him for a time to let her words and conviction sink in before going back in the room. After a few seconds he walked away but soon Sai caught up with him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"I heard from Milly." He was obviously referring to the incident with Flay. "Don't worry too much about it. I'll go talk to Flay afterwards. And Seren?"

"Ah, she's with-" Suddenly they heard a girl sing inside the room... slowly... beautifully... like a lullaby... or a gentle stream flowing in a quiet moonlit night... A clear voice singing a peaceful song that echoed in their hearts. And after a few sentences, Seren joined her. Although not quite as bright and unclouded, a harmony was soon reached, like Lacus' voice was pulling her up, reminding her of her true self. And the listeners could feel the same hopes, the same dreams overflowing in this melody sang in unity. Kira smiled faintly, remembering how Seren and Lacus had naturally accepted each other... and the rest of their conversation...

"And you two are kind not because you are Coordinators, but because you are yourselves, right?" Lacus had added in the same tone she had corrected Seren with, taking the two Earth Alliance pilots aback again. "Could I please have your names?" Kira had stuttered his full name, blushing, and scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. Noticing her childhood friend's reaction, the brown haired girl had smiled softly before also revealing her full name. "I see. Thank you, Kira-sama, Seren-sama."

"Is that girl singing?" Sai asked. Kira nodded, still smiling. "What a beautiful voice! And Seren isn't losing by that much either. But I guess that's also due to genetic engineering." Sai walked away. Kira had stopped smiling. The part about the 'genetic engineering' had shaken him and snapped him out of his daydream. Was it that Sai too just saw them as modified creatures and not as they themselves? "Come on, let's have a bite to eat as well." The Natural walked away. The enhanced human ran up to his friend after one last look at the closed door where the two girls were still singing and they returned to the dining area.

Flay and Kuzzey were still alone in the cafeteria. The girl was sullenly twisting a lock of hair around her finger and the boy was slumped on the table, his chin resting on his palms. Suddenly, he stood up.

"Although we somewhat forgot about it... Kira and Seren are also Coordinators..." He thought out loud. At this, the female's expression softened and became slightly sadder. "They can pilot and fight with those mobile suits without a problem. But we shouldn't forget that they're also protecting us."

On the Vesalius, Le Creuset joined Ades on the bridge. They had detected an Earth Alliance fleet and were wondering what they were doing here. The Commander floated over to the map.

"If the Legged Ship is heading toward the Moon HQ from Artemis, what would they do?" He asked as if he already knew everything.

"So it must be for resupply, or maybe they are to rendezvous with other ships."

"Apparently, they haven't detected us yet. Don't lose them. Follow with caution."

"Us? But..."

"The search for Lacus Clyne is of course continuing. But we can't let this chance slip by just because of one young lady. I don't want to become the laughing stock for future historians." The usual strange smile curved Rau's lips.

The Archangel accelerated. Aboard, the tense apprehension had been replaced by eager euphoria, especially Flay who learned from her fiancé that her father was coming in an advance party. He had just sent them their civilian roster so they would know she was here. And looking as if she were about to cry from relief, she hung her head and thanked goodness. That was the happiest and sincerest face she had made ever since she had boarded this ship.

Kira floated over to his gundam and Seren soon did the same. They apologized for being late. The head mechanic had been changing the values for the rising geometry on their machines so they should take a look at it, though they might not have a use for them anymore... The two Coordinators stared pensively at their units.

In her room, Lacus was playing with Pink-chan, making it roll on her desk with her index. She was smiling.

"Now for the question: where are we heading?" She wondered. Pink-chan rolled around on his own, making the girl giggle.

* * *

Inside this room, a kind and tender voice sang a chord of hope and happiness for us. Certainly, it reached the heart of dreamers. Even though we only pass each other now, surely we understand one another. But the truth was our hands were still far from our dreams.

* * *

**Author's note: Okay, now that I have about caught up, the updates for this story will be much, much slower. Until then, I express my thanks to those who chose to follow my story and put it as favorite. **


	9. Shattered hope

**Phase-09: Shattered Hope**

Seren and Milly were walking in the hallways, humming, when they stopped before the cafeteria where a number of civilians had gathered. They were all excitedly talking about contacting their families once they reached the Moon HQ, though it was not as good as going directly to Orb. Elation and hope had finally replaced the gloom and apprehension that had plagued the whole ship ever since they had left Heliopolis almost three weeks ago. The girls looked at each other and smiled. They knew they shouldn't let their guards down just yet but still...

They entered the communal shower room. A red-haired girl in pink underwear was already there. She turned and they recoiled in shock. Her face was all white like a ghost!

"What is it?" She sighed at their reaction.

"What do you mean 'what'? What are YOU doing, Flay?!" Milly retorted, voicing her dark haired friend's thoughts. They were not angry, just appalled at how she could have brought THAT in such a life and death situation.

"A face mask. Can't you see?" Flay removed the film and patted her face with a smile, satisfied with the results.

"Of course I can see. What I'm saying is... oh nevermind." Miriallia scratched the back of her head, giving up. "I'm surprised you had something like that with you." She and Seren undressed.

"Well, papa's coming with the advance force. I must doll myself up a bit. It'd be bad for papa if the daughter of a vice minister of the Atlantic Federation was all disheveled, right? I haven't seen him in such a long time after all. It's the least I can do, isn't it?" Flay spoke like a ten-year-old baby princess. Seren thought about how trifling, superficial and narcissistic her priorities could be but decided to try and phrase things differently.

"Really? I think working your hardest for the good of the people around you even at the expense of your appearance would have reflected quite well on him."

"You really don't know anything about people of a high social standing, do you? Appearances are crucial." The red head informed her, clearly condescending. No word or look had been exchanged but for their common friends both had decided to make efforts to keep their open hostility towards each other to a minimum.

"Oh, well, whatever you say." Seren dismissed. She didn't care about being implicitly called a 'lower-class person' since she didn't care about social standing. But she just couldn't understand how being a doll could be more important than helping people. That woman was beyond logic. She gave up too. She put her uniform and light green underwear in an open box, like Milly had done with her own uniform and blue underwear, and went in a cubicle. Hot water poured down on them. As they applied shampoo, Flay complained about not being able to do anything about her hair, though it couldn't be helped since they were in an emergency situation after all. The two other girls sighed. Such frivolousness, really...

On the bridge, the captain of the Archangel was talking with the captain of the Montgomery. The arrival of the fleet to the rendezvous point was going according to schedule. The Archangel would then come under the command of this ship and they would proceed to the main fleet together. Just a little bit more. He was praying for their safe arrival. Although they did not show it, the members were all touched. That man was speaking with his heart. Then another man dressed in a civilian suit addressed them.

"I am the vice minister of the Atlantic Federation, George Allster. First, I'd like to thank you for rescuing the civilians. Ah, and, hum... one more thing! I was surprised and happy to see my daughter's name, Flay, on the list of rescued civilians. I'd be more than grateful if I could see her if possible..." He requested. He looked and seemed to be a good person. But even if he was the vice minister, he was a civilian, and could not simply expect to have his way among military personnel just because he was asking for it. The situation was still critical. Forceful, impatient, ignorant and/or uncaring of the realities of the field, expecting the world to go according to their wishes and content living in their bubble... sounded like some of that family's main traits. The crew of the Archangel lightly gaped at his obliviousness while the captain of the Montgomery gently reminded him of the situation.

"Vice-minister-dono, you'll be able to see her immediately after we rendezvous..."

Sai smiled, amused. Flay's father was like that, after all.

In the Strike's cockpit, Kira was busy typing on the keyboard. His childhood friend joined him inside. She raised her hand and he instinctively mirrored her movements. They did a high five, their fingers intertwining, and they let go a moment later as she passed behind him.

"You're at it, you're at it." She commented with a smile.

"And what are _you_ doing here?"

"I just thought you'd be feeling... how to say it... muddled? Lonesome? Perplexed? Forlorn?... and bury yourself in work? ...Maybe... Something like this? Anyway I felt I better be here." She leant against him with a smile and hugged him from behind.

"That's usually what **you** do, right? And I'm not really..." He replied meekly, a little vexed that she could so easily see right through him.

""I don't want to fight. I don't want to hurt people. I don't want to kill. If I leave, I won't have to put up with it anymore. But then what will happen to these people? And Athrun?..." is it? You're too kind to keep fighting like this and you're too kind to cleanly wash your hands of this matter too." Seren affirmed softly. For Kira it was like she had literally taken the words he wanted to bury as deep as possible out of his heart to show them to him. But if it was her, it was fine... His typing speed, which was already slow, dropped again. He stayed silent for a long time, pensive, wistful... before breaking the silence.

"...What about you?" However, before she could answer they saw chief mechanic Murdoch lingering at the entrance of the cockpit. He asked what they were doing.

"I kindly came to cheer him up before going to the Blast." The girl raised her hand.

"Seren!... Geez, I'm just making a few adjustments to match the offset values. Ah, but I guess I don't need to do that anymore." Kira blushed and typed faster.

"Go ahead and do it, both of you." The adult laughed and came to pat their heads. "It's still your job until we safely meet up with the others." Then he withdrew again. "If you want you could even stay behind and enlist officially." Murdoch half joked and left, not hearing Kira's comment or the faintly bitter note in his tone.

"Don't even joke about that." He typed faster again, frowning. Seren gazed at him for a time before letting go and leaning against the cockpit wall to his left.

"I don't want to fight. I don't want to hurt people. And I certainly don't want to kill either. But... we might not be able to leave even if we want to..." The female mused somberly.

"What?! What do you mean?!" The boy sharply turned to her.

"Well, I understand why the Earth Alliance would be reluctant to part with us but I think they'd still let go. The thing is..."

"The thing is?"

"Kira, what would you do if we were attacked right as we meet up with the others and we get ready to leave?"

"That's... I..."

"I didn't spend my time only maintaining the Blast. I studied all the six Gundams... the combat and technological information on ZAFT and Earth Alliance battleships, as well as the two ships that have been chasing us since we left Heliopolis."

"Why would you do that?!"

"To increase our chances of survival by even a single point! Kira, the Archangel is the only ship in the Earth Alliance capable of sustaining attacks from a gundam. The 8th fleet is comprised of Nelson-class ships, drake-class escort ships and one Agamemnon-class ship. And none of these ships or the mobile armor pilots could last more than a few minutes before any of the four stolen mobile suits or even the GINNs. I wouldn't put it past our pursuers to get ahead of us like they did at Artemis. In that case, the fleet would be completely annihilated. Would you fight to protect them? Would you fight to protect us? Or would you still board a shuttle? It is a question we will both have to answer."

Aboard the Vesalius, Ades was showing Le Creuset, Athrun, as well as two other pilots the estimated course of the Earth Forces. The Commander informed them that the Laconi and Porto Teams were behind schedule for rendezvous. If those Earth Forces vessels were delivering supplies to the legged ship, they couldn't let this opportunity pass.

"We're going to stage an attack? But our orders were-" Athrun questioned.

"We're soldiers, Athrun. The search for miss Lacus doesn't change that."

The radar of the Archangel detected three vessels: the escort ships Montgomery, Bernard, and Law. The bridge cheered. Murrue sighed, relieved. But suddenly, they could not detect anything. A jammer was interfering with the whole area!

"Seems like the Commander's instincts were right after all." A ZAFT mobile suit pilot said after he had been launched from the Vesalius.

"Show us what that thing can do, Athrun." Another added. Athrun agreed, although not very enthusiastically. As he was leading the Aegis onto the catapult, he recalled his Commander's words _"If those vessels are delivering supplies to the Legged Ship, we can't let them go."_... his father's words _"We fight to protect ourselves. It we cannot protect ourselves without fighting, then we have no choice but to fight!"_ ...Kira's words _""I hate war."... you said that too, didn't you?! Then why did you attack Heliopolis?!"_ ... and Seren's words _"I still believe that Coordinators and Naturals can live in peace! That's why I don't want to fight you guys... and you Athrun least of all!"_... _"If you attack, of course we'll have to defend ourselves!"_ His green eyes opened, full of determination.

"Athrun Zala, taking off!"

The advance party of the 8th fleet began battle preparations. The mobile armors were launched and all missiles and anti-beam charges loaded into the tubes. They detected four mobile suits. The vice-minister was outraged that they hadn't noticed the enemy until now but there was no time to waste arguing with him.

"Lower bow, pitch angle 30 degrees! Turn to port, yaw angle 20 degrees!" The captain instructed. The ship shook after having taken a hit. The civilian fell on him. He pushed him back with his arm. "Send a message to the Archangel to turn around and withdraw!" The civilian tried to protest, in vain. "What else can we do in this situation?!"

"If we can't rendezvous, doesn't it make this trip futile?" Allster insisted.

"It would be even more futile if that ship gets destroyed!"

There were more explosions. The Archangel detected battle-like heat patterns up front, soon followed by a message from the Montgomery: 'Rendezvous is cancelled, Archangel is to withdraw immediately.' Murrue asked about the enemy's fighting strength. The CIC confirmed the presence of a Nazca-class, six GINNs... as well as the X303 Aegis. The crew on the bridge immediately guessed that the Nazca-class they had located was the same that had been chasing them ever since the 'incident' of Heliopolis.

"Kanchou!" Badgiruel-shoui yelled. Evidently she meant for her to give the order to withdraw right now as per instructed by the message.

"But on that ship is..." Tolle protested. The captain was in deep thought.

"There's no guarantee that we'd get away even if we did turn around now. All hands, level 1 battle alert! Archangel will move ahead to support the advance party!" The warning spread through the whole ship.

Kira ran out of his room. Just as he passed by Lacus', the door opened. He thought the 'prisoner' had decided to go out on her own again and he stopped and returned, ready to give her a scolding... but it was Seren who came out yelling his name. He was going to speak up to her but stopped himself. She was strange. Probably there were only three people he knew in the whole world who'd be able to tell, but there was something in her countenance that showed she had been greatly upset and disturbed and she was doing her utmost to hide it. Something other than the battle they were about to enter, or added to it. Something that had happened just now, between the moment she had left him to go see Lacus Clyne a little over half an hour ago and now. Lacus appeared behind her and asked what was going on. The ship had become so rowdy all of a sudden. She looked the same as usual, so it couldn't be that Seren had done or said anything to her.

"We've entered battle alert. Now please go inside." He forced the pink-haired girl back inside and pulled his childhood friend to him while grumbling about the lock on this door. Haro jumped at their feet.

"Haro haro haro haro I won't accept it! I won't accept it!"

"Battle alert... my, does that mean you will be fighting?"

"That's right... or it has been like that for some time already."

"Will you be fighting too, Kira-sama, Seren-sama?"

"In any case, please don't leave this room. This time, for sure, okay?" And the two pilots ran away. Lacus watched them for a time and picked her pink robot. A certain robotic squirrel came out of her hair and stayed on her shoulder. She looked at them sadly.

"Let's sing." She returned to her room and started singing.

This time, the two Coordinators were stopped by Flay. She wanted to know about the advance party but they didn't know anything. They attempted to leave but she stopped them again, her hands on their shoulders.

"It'll be okay, right? Papa's ship won't be destroyed, will it? Will it?!" She desperately inquired.

"It'll be okay, Flay. Since we're going to help too." Kira wanted himself reassuring.

"We'll do our best, that's all I'll say." But Seren was unable to irresponsibly make a promise she wasn't certain to keep. She didn't want to keep someone's hopes up only to have them shattered afterwards. The truth might hurt but lies could destroy. It was war. Flay let them go. The two ran to the changing room to put on their pilot uniforms.

The Aegis and the GINNs quickly annihilated the mobile armors of the Earth Alliance. Athrun shot the thrusters of the Bernard and soon the whole ship exploded. The sinking of the escort ship was reported to the Captain of the Montgomery and vice-minister Allster. The Aegis was now moving on towards the Law! They couldn't be more frustrated... being destroyed by stolen allied units... what kind of sick joke was this...?!

Lieutenant La Flaga led his Moebius zero onto the linear catapult and launched. The two teens arrived to their gundams dressed in their pilot suits and were berated for being late. They apologized and lost no time doing the preparations for the sortie. Milly informed them the enemy consisted of a Nazca-class, six GINNs and the Aegis. And Sai told them that Flay's father was in the advance force so he was counting on them. The Aile pack was fixed onto the Strike and the Nova Blast Off pack onto the Blast. They launched.

Flay still hadn't moved from her spot where the Coordinators had left her. Her hands as if joined in a prayer, she waited anxiously. The Archangel shot the Valiant linear cannons number 1 and 2, saving the Montgomery. The captain of the Agamemnon-class hit his arm stand with his fist. How stupid of them to come back and risk destruction...

Le Creuset smiled. The star had appeared on the stage. He gave the orders not to waste time on the small fry. He was going to make a sortie too. This number of GINNs was most likely not enough to hold the Blast and that man.

The Aegis in mobile armor mode pierced through the Law with its Scylla energy cannon. The ship exploded a second later. Athrun detected the Strike and the Blast.

Kira and Athrun charged and shot at each other, the beams passing them by harmlessly. The Lieutenant sunk a GINN when another suddenly appeared at his flank. He manipulated his gunbarrels and struck it from behind but a little too late. His Moebius had been badly hit. A 57mm beam rifle in her left hand and her Schwert Gewehr Lanze in her right hand, she fired at a GINN and pursued it until she had shot three of its limbs while dodging another.

Flay arrived at the bridge. She opened the door just slightly enough to see the inside a bit and hear Badgiruel-shoui give the order to shoot the Gottfried 1. The captain was asking about La Flaga.

"Zero returning! The unit is damaged!" Milly reported.

"Missiles from the Vesalius! Heading towards the Law!"

Flay's anxiousness turned into fear as she entered the bridge. Kuzzey and Sai said her name. Her fiancée stood up and went to her.

"Papa? What about papa's ship?!"

"We are in the midst of battle right now. Civilians should get out of the bridge!" Ramius commanded firmly but the girl would not listen. Her fear had degenerated into hysteria and she kept asking about her father's ship. Sai attempted to calm her down but she struggled in his embrace and yelled at him to let her go. They looked up at the screen to see the Blast blocking a point blank range shot from a GINN with her shield and slicing from the underarm to the head. The gundam disengaged and shot the other arm and went on to her next target: the missiles. She managed to detonate a few but the rest hit the Law that exploded. Two GINNs left, both were heading toward the Montgomery. All mobiles armors but one had been destroyed. Flay froze, her lips quivering. Her fiancée took advantage of it to take her away. She must not stay here. On the other side of the door, the girl remembered Kira – that child – and Seren. What were they doing?!

"Didn't you see? They're giving their best. But the other side has the Aegis." He told her gently but firmly.

"But he said it was going to be alright! He said 'It'll be alright since we're going to help too!'"

"It's going to be alright, ok?" He slowly led her back to her room, a comforting arm around her shoulders while his other hand was touching her right arm. But just as he said that, the ship shook. She tried to return to the bridge but the boy stopped her even as she struggled. The more she would fight the tighter he would hug her. It was then they heard Lacus' singing voice. Flay opened her door and looked at the surprised girl as if trying to decide on something. As a GINN was going to shoot down the Montgomery, the Blast vaporized its arm from above, turned the schwert gewehr lanze back into a sword, slashing the ZAFT mobile suit vertically. However, she could not prevent the last GINN from shooting the Montgomery's main cannons. Inside, the captain told the vice-minister to proceed to the lifepod. Seren fired at that last GINN, successfully drawing it away from the ship when she suddenly found herself under fire. And the pilot was very skilled. Wait! That was the CGUE that had attacked them at Heliopolis! The arrival of the enemy commander, huh...?!

Natarle ordered the preparation of the Lohengrin and asked the status of the Strike. La Flaga contacted the captain. They should retreat now or they'd be taken down too! However, she was still hesitating. Kira and Seren were still being confronted by the Aegis and the CGUE. And they were struggling. Flay returned to the bridge dragging Lacus by the arm, declaring that she'd kill this girl if they shot her papa's ship. She wanted the bridge to relay that to ZAFT.

"Tell them I'd kill this girl! TELL THEM!" She screamed resolutely, her tears floating from her eyes like beads of water. And the female Coordinator was watching her, taking the full measure of her terror and desperation. But it was too late. The Vesalius fired and pierced through the Montgomery. The ship exploded and shattered into thousands pieces. Flay screamed. Horror carved onto her face, she fell back into her fiancé's arms, her wide blue eyes still fixed on the screen. The smoke was slowly dissipating. Suddenly she started struggling again, although weakly. Lacus was sadly looking at her. As the remaining GINN headed toward the Archangel, Natarle sighed, left her post and took Kuzzey's earpiece.

"Ensign Badgiruel!" The captain yelled warningly.

"To the ZAFT forces! This is the Earth Alliance vessel, Archangel! Right now we have onboard Lacus Clyne, daughter of the PLANT's Supreme Council Chairman Siegel Clyne!" The ensign declared. Surprised, everyone suddenly stopped fighting. And on the video footage, they could all confirm Lacus' presence on the bridge. "We found her lifepod by accident and are treating her in accordance with the basic human rights and civility. However, should you decide to attack this ship, we shall consider that as forfeiting your responsibilities towards Miss Lacus Clyne. We will then take care of this situation as we see fit."

"That's despicable!" Athrun cried, outraged. Seren gritted her teeth, equally frustrated. It was not like she didn't understand Natarle's decision but that didn't make it any easier to accept. It might be a perfectly normal war strategy but humanely speaking that was just wrong...! To the point that the possibility of Lacus actually being taken hostage had never even occurred to Kira who just stayed there, shocked. Inside the hangar, Mu left his damaged zero. He wasn't exactly satisfied either but he was a seasoned soldier.

"Such poor taste..." Le Creuset smiled cynically. "They looked like they were rushing to cover the fleet but once they find themselves in danger they resort to this..." He was then contacted by the captain Ades. "Yeah, I know. All forces, cease to attack!" And the CGUE returned to the Vesalius.

Badgiruel put the earpiece down. Ramius was standing there, glowering at her. But she stood up to the gaze.

"We can't let them take down the Strike, the Blast or the Archangel here!" The ensign justified herself.

"I know, Natarle." The female lieutenant averted her eyes. She too had a profound dislike for such tactics. Badgiruel ordered someone to take Lacus back to her room. Flay had collapsed due to the shock and had been brought to her room by Sai who had stayed at her side, gazing at her worriedly and caringly. Neumann had volunteered to escort Lacus back. The pink-haired girl was looking down with a very sorrowful expression.

Those who keep promises, those who break promises, they can never escape from these chains. However, promises aren't things that belong to only one person. The ones who are left behind and the lives that won't return... place such a pressure on us that we can't even breathe.


	10. Separate ways

**Phase-10: Separate ways**

"That's right! All forces cease to attack! Haven't you heard the broadcast?" Ades insisted.

"Using a rescued civilian as a hostage... fighting alongside those cowards, is that your justice, Kira, Seren?!" Athrun raged. The two took the blow without complaints or excuses as they felt no less than he did. And both were greatly affected. They felt as if they had been first stabbed in the back and in the front immediately after. No, beyond that, they were also at fault... "I will save her... definitely!" And the Aegis also returned to the Vesalius.

In the Archangel, the ensign loosened her collar a bit. As the one leading the 'negotiations' she had been very tense. One mistake and everything could have been over. But it had ended well...

"Although we were able to avoid immediate danger, it doesn't change our situation one bit..." The captain trailed off.

"We can regroup during that time." Badgiruel justified herself. "I believe that to be the most important thing right now."

"Yes, I'm aware of that." Ramius turned to her. Despite her words, she did not sound or look very happy.

Lieutenant La Flaga told the mechanics to hurry with the repairs and supplies. After all it was not as if the fighting was completely over. The Strike and the Blast parked. The Blast notably was twice more damaged than it usually was.

"I know, but man, is this ship cursed or something?" Murdoch complained.

"That's Le Creuset, that curse, right?" Mu replied knowingly, sipping his drink. That man had been plaguing this ship like some god of misfortune ever since Heliopolis. They were joined by Kira and Seren. The boy started yelling. Just what was that about?! "There's nothing to explain. You heard for yourself. That's how it is." La Flaga replied curtly and floated away.

"Taking a girl as a hostage and threatening them... do the Earth Forces typically run from enemies like this?!" Kira burst out, disgusted, as he floated after him. The lieutenant glared at him, making him recoil for a second.

"The reason we had to resort to such shameful actions is because we're weak, right? Neither of us has the right to criticize the captain or the vice-captain." Mu twisted the knife. The boy averted his eyes and gritted his teeth. There was nothing he could say.

"Lieutenant La Flaga, was there really no other way?" Seren insisted. She wanted to sound calm but the edge in her voice, as slight as it was, was more than enough to betray her real feelings.

"You should know that better than anyone." The officer replied. The girl hit the wall with the side of her fist. The recoil made her float in the opposite direction. There was nothing she could say either. She agreed it was despicable but also understood there was no other choice... and blamed herself for her powerlessness.

The men in the Vesalius were also quite troubled. Even if they followed the Archangel, they couldn't do anything with Miss Lacus onboard. And the Legged ship's next move was certainly to join with the moon fleet. Did they really have no choice but to let them take Lacus to the fleet? Le Creuset asked for the location of the Gamow. How long until they could rendezvous? Seven hours... by this time, the Legged Ship would have joined the fleet... this was complicated...

Flay woke up. She slowly opened her cloudy eyes before she remembered the ship exploding. She screamed and bolted in a sitting position, holding her head, her eyes wide in horror. Sai rushed to her. She turned to him and asked about her papa. He froze. She insisted. He averted his eyes. She clutched his shirt and looked up with tear-filled eyes.

"Where's papa's ship? What happened to it?!" She repeated desperately. He said her name again and again to make her listen but she wouldn't. He slightly stepped back. But she was still holding onto his chest, and her legs unable to support her, they simply fell on the floor. It was then Milly opened the door, drinks in her arms. She dropped them.

The two Coordinators were walking in the hallway, dressed in their uniform again, when they heard Flay crying and screaming after her father. They looked at each other and ran to her room. The door was blocked by a gourd. They opened it fully. Milly was staring sadly, compassionately. Flay was down on her knees, crying her heart out in her fiancé's chest. Sai was sitting down and embracing her comfortingly.

"Lie... that's a lie... THAT'S A LIE!" She shrieked in anguish. Miriallia whispered Kira's and Seren's name when she noticed them.

"Flay..." The boy muttered, abashed.

"Liars!" Flay turned to them hatefully. Kira recoiled obviously shocked and distraught. "You said it was gonna be alright! You said "It'll be okay since we're going too."!" And before her tears of grief and hatred and the truth of her words, the operator of the Strike averted himself again. Unable to see or care about the agony on the two pilots' faces, she continued. "Why didn't you protect papa's ship?! Why didn't you kill them all?!"

"Flay!" Miriallia reprimanded her. "Kira and Seren too fought desperately..."

"Because you two are Coordinators too... you weren't fighting seriously, were you?!" She spat venomously. Loathing, spite, grief were distorting her pretty features more terribly than any scar ever could. And their sheer intensity pierced the Coordinators' hearts like a bullet. Their eyes widened. They had literally felt something break within them. If back then when she had first lashed against Lacus, their hearts had just cracked, now they had completely broken apart. Seren was feeling her legs trembling, wobbling, threatening to give way, she tried to breathe but something was constricting her throat. Suddenly, she walked forth, grabbed the wailing girl by the front of her clothes, raised her and pinned her against the wall. Her feet did not even touch the ground.

Flay struggled fruitlessly and fearfully. While Seren normally would have never been able to display such strength, this had been more than she could endure while keeping quiet. While she normally would have never reacted so violently, the limit of her fortitude had been overcome. The attack on Heliopolis, having to fight, having to kill, having Athrun on the other side, having all that pressure forced onto them, having to always act calm and strong, risking her life constantly like it was natural, seeing people die, seeing and causing such suffering on both sides, her inability to protect everyone, Kira's anguish, what Lacus had told her before she went to fight, and then clinging to her humanity, unable to become a full soldier, a half-heartedness that caused Lacus and Flay to go through such experiences... After so many stabs, from others and from herself, this one... had been one too many. The pilot of the Blast slapped her hard once, back, and forth again with her left hand. Her friends rushed to rebuke her and try to make her let go but were unable to make her budge. And then they stopped and stepped back, stunned, when they saw her hazel eyes shining and rippling like liquid gold.

"Has our little princess woken up yet?"

"What are-?!"

"That's right, we are Coordinators. And my mother was killed by the Blue Cosmos. We were just walking in the street when people shot us, and my mother protected me with her body. She took 27 shots, 27! Why? Just because her parents had decided to give her more chances of survival than a human born naturally. That isn't a matter of superior abilities, right? That's just a proof of love. She loved my father who's a Natural, she loved me and I loved her just like you loved your father. Would you be able to risk your own life to protect others? Do you care enough about others for that? Because they hated war they decided to live in Orb. That's why I hate war too and I have Natural friends like Milly and Tolle and Coordinator friends like Kira. And you say we weren't fighting seriously?! Then you should have exploded time ago along with this ship! If you're so frustrated why don't you make yourself useful like Tolle, Milly and Sai instead of spending all your time crying, hiding under your pillow, or pampering yourself?! Or at least quit bitching around and being in people's way all the time! Tell me, have you ever thought about our feelings every time we go out and put our lives on the line? Of course not since you're too selfish and self-centered... but then don't talk like you know! You don't even try to see or to think... Kira and I are not heartless war machines! We're humans too! But you're too much of a damn coward to try to understand us! Do you really think you're the only one who's scared and suffering? Naturals and Coordinators, everyone is suffering! But you couldn't care less about that, do you?! We don't want to fight, we don't want to kill, but we still do it... this hopeless feeling of decaying and wasting away inexorably each time we do it... just what do you know of us?! So before you go shooting your mouth off, think a little more about others! This is war! I hate it as much as you do but this is war! Even children know that are never any guarantees... that's why we all want it to end... You're not in your doll house anymore. This is reality. Face it!" She had cried out, and released her resentment, her rage, her sorrow, but that didn't stop her from feeling guilty, powerless, shameful, frustrated, angry at herself for having vented on her even if she partly deserved it. But still, the tears wouldn't fall.

They all stood there, frozen. In all those years, it was the first time that they had ever seen Seren snap like this. She might act a bit cold and harsh at times, but because she always acted to strong in front of them, because she always appeared so calm and rational, accepting their situation so easily, and yet always so warm and friendly with them, like she hadn't really changed... they had taken everything for granted, and they had forgotten. She was a Coordinator, but she was like them. She definitely wasn't the type to cry easily, complain or make excuses for herself... well, she might not have cried but they had seen, without a doubt, the tears in her eyes... so for her to snap like this...

Seren ran away, followed by Kira. Despite all appearances, they had REALLY done the best they could given their opponents. She climbed onto the elevator, holding the railing with her left hand while her right hand was tightly clutching her left arm, her beautiful face and heart wrenched in distress. Kira climbed with her, gazing at her disconsolate profile that reflected his.

_"Using a rescued civilian as a hostage... fighting alongside those cowards, is that your justice, Kira, Seren?!" _Athrun's enraged and disappointed voice was still replaying in their minds, painfully vivid... and echoing their own feelings... as well as Mu La Flaga's bitterly truthful comment... _"The reason we had to resort to such shameful actions is because we're weak, right?" _And Flay's spitefully vicious lash out... _"Because you two are Coordinators too... you weren't fighting seriously, were you?!" _The boy slowly and gently wrapped his arms around the girl who leant back against him and hugged him back.

They passed like ghosts in the hallways, their heads down, not even noticing Kuzzey. They stopped at the windows looking over the back of the ship. Now that they were finally away from their friends, and could no longer hurt them by letting themselves be seen like this, they finally let go. Their embrace tightened as they clung for dear life. Kira cried and howled in anguish. But Seren was tightly shutting her eyes, still refusing to let the tears fall. Back then, she had snapped, but now she had to be strong, for Kira... Suddenly, they heard a kind and sweet voice ask them what was wrong. It was Lacus Clyne. She was smiling softly. The two let go of each other. She straightened her tilted form. And Seren slightly turned away and stepped a little behind Kira. She couldn't face her.

Dressed in a bathrobe, Le Creuset was drying his hair when he received a communication. A man's voice informed him that there was a message from Chairman Zala of the National Defense Committee and asked whether he should forward it. The Commander declined as he would take it from the bridge.

"My, my... such a big fuss over one little girl's life." He sighed, taking a few capsules of medicine with water... and sounding quite unappreciative of the value of life. He looked at his open hand, turned it, and clenched his fist.

Lacus noticed the tears in Kira's eyes and reached out her hand to wipe them but he recoiled and dried them with his sleeve before asking her what she was doing here. The girl had been taking a stroll when she had heard a loud voice. The boy blushed and reminded her she shouldn't be walking like this on her own without permission. She could be accused of being a spy.

"Oh? But Pink-chan here loves taking walks. Or, in fact, if a door's locked he will always open it and go out." The idol looked up pensively, her hand cupping her cheek.

"Anyway, let's go back. Come." He offered her his hand. But instead of taking it she playfully flew a little further away.

"The fighting has ended I see."

"Yes, well, thanks to you." Kira replied weakly, looking away. Both he and Seren were recalling just how it was thanks to her that the fighting had stopped and their chests tightened again.

"Yet you have very sad expressions."

"Well, the truth is we... we really don't want to fight. We are Coordinators too. And Athrun was a very close friend of ours..."

"Athrun?"

"Athrun Zala... that he is the pilot of that mobile suit, the Aegis..." The boy spoke with obvious pain, the same pain that could be seen on Seren's face. And having overheard them, hidden the hallway, Kuzzey's eyes widened in surprise. He left just a second later, careful not to be seen.

"Is that so?" Smiling kindly, Lacus floated towards Kira who took her hands in his. "But you, Seren and Athrun are very good people. That is a truly sad thing." She looked down.

"Do you know Athrun?!"

"Athrun Zala is the person I will very eventually marry." The pink-haired girl smiled again. Yamato was shocked. He turned to the pilot of the Blast, surely she was as... shocked... as... him... No, he couldn't see her expression very well, but she didn't seem surprised at all. She already knew about it? That downcast figure, the way she was clutching her left arm with her right hand... "I actually told Seren the same things earlier. You haven't mentioned it?" The songstress wondered innocently. Suddenly, Kira remembered his childhood friend's appearance right before the battle when she had gone out of Lacus' room...

"Ah, no, well, we didn't really have time for that..." He excused her.

"Oh, that's right." The idol remembered. "He's a kind person but very quiet." She caught Haro who was passing by. "And he gave me this Haro. When I told him I really liked it, he made one after another!" It was easy for Kira and Seren to imagine their childhood friend making these robots, and his awkward expression when giving them to her, and the few dozens of haros that must be hopping about in her house.

"Is that so. Athrun hasn't changed one bit. He made my Torii too, as well as Seren's Chacha. But..."

"It would be nice if the three of you no longer had to fight each other." Lacus voiced the feeling in their hearts.

"Well, I do understand how Flay feels. But that was too mean!" Milly gave her opinion. Although she also agreed that Seren had been really overly harsh too. She didn't have to slap Flay! She, Tolle, and Sai were sitting in the cafeteria discussing the most recent incident when they were joined by Kuzzey.

""Because you two are Coordinators too, you weren't fighting seriously, were you?" huh?" Sai quoted his fiancée.

"That's not true at all! Kira and Seren are fighting the best they can all the time!" Tolle denied vehemently. His girlfriend agreed.

"No, don't get me wrong. It's not like I'm doubting them. When you're on the bridge you understand firsthand just how hard it is to fight a mobile suit even if you don't want to." Sai corrected himself. But Kuzzey wondered if it was really so. They asked what was with him.

"That mobile suit that was taken, the Aegis... I hear the one piloting it is an old friend of Kira and Seren." He revealed. The others gasped. "I overheard them talking with that other Coordinator girl a moment ago... that they were really close friends." And they all thought about what Seren had said... the feelings they had when going out into battle, the feeling of killing someone, how both Coordinators and Naturals were scared and suffering... Somehow, they had forgotten, and received a grim reminder...

Almost everyone was sleeping. But not the two mobile suits pilots. They were still in their uniforms, sitting on their beds in deep in their somber thoughts, their knees to their chests. Their robot pets chittered on their shoulders, concerned, and went on their hands.

_"Athrun Zala is the person I will eventually marry."_

And both had taken their decision.

They unwittingly met before the 'prisoner's' room. When they opened the door, she was sleeping. Haro woke her up with the noise he was making. They told him to keep quiet. Lacus was surprised to see Kira-sama and Seren-sama here and asked them what was wrong. They told her not to say anything and come with them, very quietly. She changed and followed them. When they saw Sai in the hallway, Kira hid her and stood before to hide her more from their view. Miriallia came out of a room too as it was soon time for their shift. They noticed Kira being strange, Seren at his side. And from behind them, Lacus suddenly popped up... with Haro hopping and chattering as usual. Sai and Milly were incredulous. The singer smiled innocently, Kira looked very troubled to say the least and Seren was standing firm. The Naturals asked them what they were doing and what they were planning to do with that girl. They couldn't be...?!

"Please let us go without asking anything. We don't want you to get involved!" Kira requested.

"You didn't see anything. You didn't hear anything." His childhood friend concurred. "We just can't stand this situation."

"Well, keeping a girl hostage is something the bad guys would do. I'll help." Sai scratched the back of his head, smiling. And Milly agreed with him. Seren tried to protest but they wouldn't listen.

They went to the changing room and took out a cosmonaut suit for her to wear over what she was currently wearing. But with that long puffy dress under her short slightly fitter dress... Well, she instantly understood and started pulling down her long dress... right before Kira's eyes! Seren turned the guy so he'd face the other side and helped Lacus into the suit. Then the pilots changed too. They left the room and joined with Sai and Miriallia who had been on the look out outside. Sai recoiled before Lacus' bulging 'stomach' (where the dress had been stuffed).

"Ah, no... it's just that suddenly... "how many months has it been?"... or something?" He justified himself sheepishly. But as a stupid question called for a stupid answer... Seren judged it should somewhere within the last three months. Kira and Milly sighed. Geez... they knew she was given to irony and that her mouth had a strong tendency to shoot off before her brain when she'd hear idiotic remarks. But she didn't have to get along with it now!

At the hangar, they made sure no one was looking and went to the Strike first. Kira got on the pilot's seat and Lacus sat on his lap. Then Seren went to the Blast. Lacus thanked the two Naturals for their help.

"Don't mention it."

"I hope we can meet again."

"I'm not sure about that. Kira, Seren, you'll come back, right? You'll definitely come back, right?" They heard desperation in Sai's voice.

"Definitely. I promise." The two Coordinators smiled. Seren also did a salute before going into her machine and starting it. But Murdoch and other mechanics had noticed them and weren't very happy about what they were doing.

"Definitely! It's a promise!" Sai insisted as he and Miriallia floated away. X105 walked forward, x216 right behind it. Its pilot warned everyone to stay back since he was opening the hatch. "Make sure you do, Kira, Seren! I trust you!"

The alert sounded in the bridge. The captain asked what it was about. The hatch opened and the catapult unfolded.

"Strike, Blast! What are you doing, Kira Yamato, Seren Ashford?!" Natarle demanded.

"The kids are taking the girl out! It's too late! The air lock's already been opened!" La Flaga informed her from the hangar.

"What?!" The strict ensign could barely believe such insubordination. Their stupid and selfish behavior was endangering the whole ship! Everyone on the bridge gasped in sheer surprise. The Strike was equipped with the Aile Striker and the Blast with the Nova Blast Off. Kira told Lacus to hold on as they were leaving. And Haro replied 'you too'. They launched.

The Vesalius instantly confirmed two mobile suits launches from the legged ship. The alert was ringing through the whole ship and all mobile suits pilots were ordered to prepare for immediate takeoff. Athrun boarded the Aegis.

"This is the mobile suit Strike of the Earth Alliance Forces' Archangel." Kira introduced himself.

"And the mobile suit Blast of the same."

"We are bringing Lacus Clyne to you! In return, I demand that the Nazca-class halt! We will hand her over on the condition that we are met by the pilot of the Aegis alone! Should this condition be breached, I cannot guarantee her safety!" Kira warned ZAFT. Mu La Flaga got into his Moebius Zero and prepared to sortie. Then, by setting the communication so only the ones in the Strike could hear, Seren also gave her childhood friend a warning...

"Kira, even if we can trust Athrun, I don't think we should blindly trust his commander. They're definitely going to attack as soon as they'll have Lacus back so please be prepared."

"What?! No!"

"We're naïve children doing things for our own convenience! Adults don't care about our circumstances! They only obey the rules of war. The fact is that we're putting the Archangel at risk and they're all perfectly aware of that. You don't have to believe me. Just be prepared in case."

At first, Captain Ades suspected a trap from the Ashitsuki. Athrun contacted him and his Commander and pleaded to be allowed to go but the captain still doubted the enemy's intentions. He even doubted Lacus' presence in the mobile suit. Athrun insisted. The possibility that this could be a plot to assassinate him had not even crossed his mind. He was not aware of how much he still trusted Kira and Seren. All eyes turned to the commander. His usual strange smile appeared on his lips.

"All right. I authorize it."

"Thank you very much." The boy smiled sincerely and ended the connection.

"Are you sure about this? And there are TWO enemy mobile suits..." Ades questioned.

"This can definitely be seen as a chance. If you look attentively at the Blast's position and movements, you'll notice that it is carefully observing both us and the legged ship. It seems that the enemy's pilots are also very young. Stop the ship and prepare my CGUE for takeoff, Ades." And Rau left the bridge. While he could readily admit their skills and discernment, their hopeless naivety was quite damning... The Aegis launched.

"Captain! They've done that on their own without authorization! We should attack!" Natarle pressed her hesitating superior.

"If we did that, the Blast would attack us this time!" La Flaga argued. The ensign recoiled. "Perhaps." Mu winked. But that was probable. Seren was one who always did what needed to be done (however reluctantly), which was why things went usually fine... but she was also known as being strongly self-willed and refractory, notably on certain occasions. And should those aspects of her combine... should they do anything that would make her see them as enemies... and so Badgiruel had no choice but to fold for now. Ramius had a small smile on her lips, grateful at how her fellow lieutenant was protecting these three children in his own way...

"The Nazca-class has cut its engines! Braking jets!" Romero Pal announced. In the CIC, Jackie Tonomura notified the bridge of the approaching Aegis. The bright red gundam stopped before the Strike that aimed its rifle at it.

"Athrun... Zala?" Kira asked, very tense.

"That's right."

"Open your cockpit!" Yamato commanded. Athrun obeyed. The Strike's pilot also opened his cockpit. The ZAFT soldier looked at the Blast. The cockpit opened and Seren stepped forward a little as proof that she meant no harm even though her rifle was directed the Archangel and her Schwert Gewehr Lanze was directed at the Vesalius. She would simply stop anyone who would interfere. But more than anything, she wanted to see Athrun again, from up close, one last time, and not just the Aegis. Kira asked Lacus to speak since her face could not be seen. They had to let him know it was really her. The songstress greeted Athrun and waved at him, and so did Haro in its own way. The pilot of the Aegis smiled and confirmed. "Then take her with you!"

The red suit unfastened his belt and stood at the edge of the latch, holding onto the superior half. Kira gently pushed the girl away towards her fiancé. The two Earth Alliance pilots watched with a very sad smile as she floated over to that man. She caught his hand and he brought her over to him. And Athrun had the same reaction as Sai when he saw her swollen belly.

"Thank you for everything Kira, Seren, and you, Athrun." Lacus smiled at everyone in turn. Her fiancé bowed slightly.

"Kira, Seren, you come too!" Athrun suddenly burst out. "There's no reason for you to remain with the Earth Forces!" He had saved Lacus, he had got her back. And Kira and Seren had saved her. Now if only he could get them back too...

"I don't want to fight you either..." Kira replied after an initial shock. Tolle, Miriallia, Sai, Kuzzey... gathered in the cafeteria, their heads down in anxiety... Milly and Tolle worriedly gazing at him... And the fear and hope in Sai's and Milly's eyes when he had boarded the Strike to return Lacus... "But aboard that ship are people I want to protect... there are my friends!" He yelled out in distress, ready to cry. Athrun gritted his teeth, his green eyes narrowed in intense suffering.

"Seren!" He cried in desperation. At least... at least her!

"Sorry... as long as you guys insist on sinking the Archangel and the Strike... in order to protect them, to protect my friends... I will have no choice but to fight!" And although he couldn't really see her face, he could clearly tell... her voice, her form, filled to the brim with sorrow and agony. She knew and Kira knew that he was doing his very best to protect them because he cared so much about them. But Kira and Seren had other people they cared about, and they were the only ones who could protect them. Athrun felt his chest tighten again; he felt his heart cracking and the blood seeping through. He hung his head.

"Then it can't be helped." He raised himself again. "The next time we battle, I will shoot you!" He declared with strength and sorrow.

"The same goes for me!" Kira replied with the same grief and determination. Seren kept quiet and returned inside the Blast. She fastened her belt and closed her cockpit like Kira had done. After they backed a little, the Strike lowered its rifle, soon followed by Seren. Athrun and Lacus kept watching as the gap grew and grew.

"The enemy mobile suits are moving away!" The captain of the Vesalius shouted.

"Start the engines, Ades!" Le Creuset ordered. The CGUE was launched. The Archangel's CIC detected it. Natarle gasped. Romero stated that the Vesalius' engines had also started. It was just as La Flaga had thought. And just as Seren had thought and told Kira.

"Commander!?" Athrun exclaimed, shocked.

"Athrun! Return to the Vesalius with Lacus-jou!" Rau instructed.

"Lieutenant La Flaga!" Kira was just as stunned.

"Did you really think they'd just sit back and watch?!" The lieutenant yelled. Both Athrun and Kira made a frustrated sound... at the adults who could not understand them, and at themselves for being so trustful and unsuspecting of the adults, almost to the point of gullibility. Seren stopped and aimed at the oncoming CGUE, waiting for it to come as close as possible. This time... definitely... The white mobile suit passed the red one. Fear was written all over Athrun's handsome face. He obviously wanted nothing more than to stop him. And without even looking at her fiancé, Lacus leant forward. He tried to tell her to be careful since she could hurt herself but his mind was only half to it as preoccupied as he was by Kira and Seren... and she seemed so firm and unwavering... She pushed a button.

"Commander Rau Le Creuset! Please stop! Are you trying to turn this location into a battlefield despite my presence here as the representative of the memorial delegation?" The daughter of the Chairman of the PLANTs' Supreme Council demanded. The calm regality and the hint of fierceness in her voice were very different from her usual tone and yet, one could not help but feel that she was doubtlessly Lacus Clyne. The Commander swore innerly... that little girl... what was she saying at a time like this?! "I will not allow it! Please stop all offensive actions at once! Do you not hear me?" She commanded. Rau cursed the troublesome young lady in a low voice.

"Roger that, Lacus Clyne!" And the CGUE turned about and flew over to the Vesalius. Athrun looked at Lacus in great surprise and relief. She smiled sweetly.

Seren had lowered her weapon and turned around.

"I don't know what just happened, but we're returning too. We don't wanna stir up a hornet's nest." La Flaga told the two kids. They agreed in a small downhearted voice. And the three flew back to the Archangel. "That was one unbelievable princess." The man commented suddenly after a pause. Tears had gathered at the corner of the Coordinators' eyes. Before their complete silence, he started the visual communication and asked them what the matter was.

"No. It's nothing." They said. And they hung their heads. They closed their eyes and the tears fell down.

In the Archangel, Flay had woken up in the darkness and sat up on her bed. Her stormy eyes reflected cold, dark and grim resolution.

"I won't let things remain like this."

* * *

We dreamt of having our wishes granted and hung our heads without having them granted. We understood the meaning of life, the meaning of partings, the meaning of loss, and the meaning of sacrifice. Overcome by emotions, people screamed and cried. They must be exhausted by those released feelings. We're not such adults as to be able to bear the burdens. Are we unable to protect?


	11. Awakening blades

**Phase-11: Awakening blades**

"The defendants fail to understand how much their actions endangered the ship." Ensign Badgiruel accused as the trial counsel.

"That comment is no more than an analogy." Lieutenant La Flaga argued as the defense counsel. "I ask that it be taken out of the court records."

"I authorize its deletion." Lieutenant Ramius permitted in her quality of presiding judge.

"In the first place, I believe that taking a civilian as a hostage goes against Article 4 of the Corsica Treaty..." Mu stated, looking into his book.

"These actions taken come under Exception section C of the same article...'Measures Taken During Wartime'." The prosecutor fended without the slightest hint of hesitation as she knew the code by heart. The defender flipped through his book. Exception section C? He had never heard of it.

"Ah, well, but... the Nazca-class withdrew and we escaped a difficult situation because they released the hostage!"

"That is only a hindsight-based opinion."

"Kira Yamato, is there anything you would like to add?" The captain inquired. "Why did you take such action without authorization?"

"I didn't rescue her so she could be used as a hostage." Kira replied like a sulking child.

"Right! If anything, you'd want her for a girlfriend, right?" La Flaga teased.

"Objection!" Natarle stood up. Ramius told the defense to watch his words and turned toward the other teen. Seren at least should have known better.

"It's just that I haven't sold my soul to the military yet. I knew the risks but I had confidence that things would be fine." The girl replied. Naturally, she was asked what she meant. "I have spoken with Lacus Clyne more than anyone else on this ship. She's not the naïve airhead she appears to be. She has a deep, charismatic, strong-willed, and determined personality. And she's a pacifist who, like her father, wishes for Naturals and Coordinators to coexist in harmony. She's very aware of her position of authority and knows how to make use of it as you remarked. If it's her, I'm sure she can help end this conflict more quickly, more peacefully. I get order is necessary to avoid chaos. But if you don't keep an open mind, you won't be able to see things you could have seen and you'll be strangled by that leash. Refusing to understand and acknowledge the other, closing yourself off to the possibilities, that isn't loyalty but short-sighted narrow-mindedness." She looked insistently at the ensign who glared back at her before once more turning to the judge. "My friends are onboard anyway, I won't risk their lives inconsiderately. I swore on my life to protect them and this ship and that's what I'll keep doing. I also promise to refrain from further unauthorized actions." She affirmed strongly. "Now please, let this **_martial _**court pass judgment."

"Then, Kira Yamato, Seren Ashford, your actions are in violation of Article 3 Section B, Article 10 Section F, and infringement of Article 13 Section 3 of the martial law. Therefore, said people will be... sentenced to death!" The captain and judge declared without a shred of hesitation or mercy. Kira recoiled in sheer horror and felt his heart stop beating. His childhood friend did not show the slightest emotion. There was nothing to fear, really. "However, as Seren-kun implied, this is purely a sentence for those under court martial. The military law carries with it no provision to sentence civilians." The female lieutenant had recovered her gentle demeanor. "I call upon Kira Yamato and Seren Ashford to consider their actions carefully from now on. I now adjourn this court case." She concluded. The boy stammered. Mu rephrased the conclusion in more simple terms for him: don't do stuff without permission anymore. He stood up and threw his law book backwards. The ensign glared at him for his careless behavior.

Flay left her room.

Sai and Miriallia were anxiously waiting before the room where the mock trial had been held. The door opened and the two Coordinators came out. Their friends immediately asked whether they were alright, how it had gone, what they had been told, what their punishment was... like if they too would have to clean the toilets for a week...

"Hey, that's a great idea! Shall we have you do that?" La Flaga wondered, half joking, as he pushed the boys apart so he could pass. The two had been blocking the entrance. The strict ensign left without a word. She was still scowling. The Coordinators reassured their friends. They were not being punished.

"That's good. But that means it's just us?" Sai commented.

"Murdoch-gunsou totally scolded us. He said, 'Do you two even know the meaning of 'danger'?!" Milly nicely imitated the chief mechanic. Kira and Seren apologized and offered to help but were turned down. They'd be meeting up with the 8th fleet soon anyway. It wasn't going to be much of a burden.

Hearing her fiancé's and the Coordinators' voices, Flay stopped and hid to listen.

"Kuzzey said he heard you two talking with that girl, that the one who pilots the Aegis is your friend." Sai's words, spoken light-heartedly, dropped like a bomb for Kira, Seren, and Flay who gasped in shock, their eyes wide. "Honestly speaking, I was a bit worried."

"Sai..."

"But I'm glad. You two returned like you said you would." And Sai and Milly left to report to the bridge for their shift. Not one person had noticed Flay's presence. The small smile on Kira's and Seren's lips vanished. They hung their heads as they recalled how Sai had kept iterating his vow of trust in them. They left under Flay's disconcerted gaze. But then, her expression hardened.

Aboard the Gamow, Captain Zellman, Yzak, Dearka and Nicol were trying to devise their next course of action. And as often, Nicol was at odds with the two others. Sure they could catch up with the ashitsuki before they joined with the 8th fleet, but they only had 10 minutes to sink it before entering the fleet's firing range.

"You mean we have a full ten minutes, right?" Dearka corrected.

"Cowards should keep quiet." Yzak added, smirking. Nicol frowned at the insult. "Are there only ten minutes? Or is it a full ten minutes? It's all in how you view it. I'd be sorry if we let them slip away with those ten minutes we have."

"I agree. The success of the surprise attack isn't measured by the actual time spent." Dearka concurred.

"I know that, but..." The youngest red uniform protested.

"I hear that the Vesalius will be returning as soon as Miss Lacus is handed over to Commander Laconi's ship. We'll sink the Legged Ship before that. Got it?" The blue-eyed leader instructed. The others agreed, though one more reluctantly than the other. Both Yzak and Dearka were brimming with self-assurance... and forgetting how they had been unable to sink either ship, Strike or Blast despite all the time they had, even when Athrun was with them.

The Vesalius... Athrun was floating in a hallway. Haro came ricocheting on the walls like a pinball ball. He caught it right before it crashed against his face. He closed his eyes and sighed, muttering Lacus' name. She had come out of her room without permission again...

"Haro seems overly excited. He's happy to see you after all this time." The pink haired girl joined him.

"Haro does not have such things as emotions." The soldier explained gently. Also, she might be a guest here, but the Vesalius was a warship. It would be best if she did not wander too much outside her room. So he took her back to her room. The door closed behind them. She was a little down that everyone told her that wherever she went. It was boring. However, it couldn't be helped. That was the situation they were in.

"What is it, Athrun?" Lacus asked when she noticed her fiancé staring at her curiously.

"Nothing... ah... hum... I was wondering how you were feeling." He stammered, embarrassed to have been caught staring so openly. It had been a bit rude on his part. "Well, you have been taken hostage, so you must have been through a lot."

"I am fine." The songstress smiled and stepped closer to him. "Your friends treated me very well while I was on that other ship. Seren-sama came to me whenever she could and we talked a lot."

"Is that so..."

"Kira-sama and Seren-sama are very kind people. And they're very strong."

"They're idiots! They insisted that they're not soldiers, yet they're still in those things! He's just being used! Something about friends, he says! Because his parents are Naturals, that's why... And Seren should know better! With her mother being a Coordinator killed by Blue Cosmos. She'd be warmly welcomed and she's Senator Canaver's niece too... but she's always pampered Kira, followed him, taking care of him...!"

"Did you want her to turn to you more often, to follow you and take care of you?"

"That's...!" But Athrun did not know what to say. Lacus reached out her hand to touch his cheeks but he stepped back and turned around. He didn't want to be comforted. He just wanted those people at his side.

"They said they did not want to fight against you."

"I feel the same!" Athrun burst again. "Why would I want to fight them..." He closed his eyes, frustrated, upset beyond words. He straightened himself and saluted. He excused himself and started leaving.

"You always have a pained expression these days."

"I can't exactly fight a war with a big smile on my face." The boy replied, his tone more biting than usual.

"Athrun." Lacus stopped him. "When I told Seren-sama that we were fiancés, she hugged me very tightly, and she asked me, she begged me to take care of you, to be your ally no matter what." At those words, the pilot froze. "And she... was trembling." Athrun sharply turned his head to her, his green eyes wide, just as the door closed. He stared at the closed door for a time. His fists tightened. And he left.

"We'll reach the rendezvous point in about thirty minutes. We somehow managed to make it this far." Murrue sounded quite relieved. Unlike her second in command who sternly ordered to conduct enemy searches and lookouts rigorously. Fleets stood out. Enemies would be targeting them. She wasn't going to relax until the very last second. The captain glared slightly at her.

Sai and Kuzzey were picking at their food in the cafeteria. Elle-chan had come to get a glass of water for her mother. Both students also anticipated the imminent rendezvous but Kuzzey doubted they would be allowed to leave too. Since as Lieutenant Ramius said, they would have to stay with her until she could contact the appropriate authorities because of the top military secret – the gundams –they had seen. Sai thought that fleet was certainly the 'appropriate authorities'. But Kuzzey was still unsure. What about Kira and Seren? Would they be able to get off, after all those things they did?

It was then that the mobile suits pilots walked into the room. They stopped when they noticed Sai and Kuzzey but made no sign of acknowledgement and went straight to get their drinks. However, the atmosphere was rather tense. After all, Kuzzey had spied on them and tattled. And Sai had tattled about him, even though the Coordinators weren't emotionally ready to tell them about Athrun. Things would have been fine had they just continued as they were without anyone having to worry needlessly. And there was also the issue with Lacus and Flay... And then, Flay appeared at the door. Sai stood up and cried her name, surprised to see her here. He approached her and, worried, asked whether she was alright and that she should be resting more. Without even looking at him, her eyes fixed on the Coordinators, she answered she was fine and went straight to the two pilots.

"Hum... Kira, Seren, I apologize for earlier. I was in such a panic then, that I said such horrible things... I'm really sorry."

"Flay...!" Kira whispered.

"You fought the best you could to protect us... I..." She looked sideways in guilt and embarrassment, tears at the corner of her eyes.

"Flay! It's okay! At that time..."

"I properly understand as well! That you were doing your best for us... and yet..."

"Thank you Flay. I also apologize... for not being able to able to save your father..."

"And Seren, I also wanted to thank you. If you hadn't snapped like this, I would have surely remained weak and ignorant..."

"I also apologize, for hitting you... and for not having been able to do more..." Seren averted her eyes. She knew what it meant to lose a parent. She knew how losing someone could break you. She should have been able to be more understanding. And yet, she had not been able to stop herself. And because her own feeling of guilt and shame and the realization of her own weaknesses were so strong, they eclipsed even the warning tug of her instinct.

"Wars are so unpleasant. I wish it could end soon." Flay voiced everyone's feelings, but not even Seren noticed the strange smile that curved her lips, and only Sai remarked something strange, subdued, in her tone. Kira agreed with the red head.

It was then that in the bridge, Romero Pal reported radar wave interference and an increase in N-jammers levels. The level one battle alert spread through the ship. Chandra detected the heat source of a Laurassia-class as well the thermal patterns of the Blitz, Buster and Duel. Natarle cursed them for appearing moments before the rendezvous.

"It's a battle! Another battle!" Elle cried, running around in the hallways until she bumped into Kira who had ran out of the cafeteria without seeing her. She fell on her butt. He and Seren were going to help her up when Flay took their place, knelt down and helped the little girl.

"Sorry, onii-chan was in a hurry. We're entering another battle but we'll be alright. This onii-chan and onee-chan will fight for us and protect us."

"Really?"

"Yup." The red haired girl smiled comfortingly. "Because they're gonna go and defeat _all_ the bad guys."

At this, Seren's bad feeling got stronger. _"Because they're gonna go and defeat __**all**__ the bad guys."?!_ Sai called the two pilots. They joined him and Kuzzey at the elevator. Flay stood up, holding the little child's hand. The elevator went up.

"That's right. We must have them kill them all." Flay looked in the Coordinators' direction with a cruel smile on her lips. She tightened her grip so much she hurt the little girl who broke free and ran away from the mean woman.

Mu La Flaga took off in his Moebius Zero. Miriallia informed her friends of the number and nature of the attacking forces once they were in their cockpits. The Strike was equipped with the Aile pack and the Blast with the Blast Off pack. They launched.

"The 8th Fleet is heading our way! Hang in there!" The captain encouraged them. The ensign ordered the activation of the igelstellung, the preparation of the anti-beam charges and the setting up of all stern missiles tubes.

The Duel, Buster and Blitz joined up, flying back to back. The Gamow fired. They suddenly disbanded. The shot passed inbetween them and grazed the Archangel. The ship shook. Ramius gritted her teeth. The enemy had analyzed their evasion algorithm.

"Hiding their line of fire with those three machines... How impressive!" La Flaga commented. He detached his gunbarrels and shot in the middle to divide them before focusing on the Buster. However, his ammunition had no effect on the phase shift armor. Kira came to help and was instantly engaged in battle by the Duel. But against all expectations, instead of defending the Archangel or fighting them as usual, the Blast blew straight past them... right towards the Gamow! Nicol was going to go after it but Yzak stopped him. That this unit had decided to use such an offensive defense had greatly surprised him too but he had kept his level head. He wasn't going to play right into her hand! The Blast's pilot wanted them to lure them all away from the Legged Ship and concentrate all enemy fire and attention on her, facilitating her allies' counterattacks. And if she could do some damage on the ship then it was all the better. However, that plan was a huge gamble... Yzak ordered Dearka to support the Gamow and Nicol to sink the Archangel.

The Valiant at the back of the Earth Alliance battleship fired. The Blitz dodged and disappeared from the radars. It had deployed the mirage colloid. They shot the anti-beam depth charges and switched the stern missiles to shrapnel warheads. The charges deflected Nicol's beams. And from their angle they calculated his approximate position and shot the shrapnel warheads. The ZAFT soldier was forced to deactivate the energy-expensive mirage colloid, which rendered his unit too vulnerable, and protect himself with his shield. Through his gritted teeth, he was smirking. This machine was theirs to begin with. They knew its weaknesses well! The black gundam vanished again. Natarle ordered that the auto-tracking of the igelstellung be disengaged and to put up a barrage. And indeed, with such a wide range, Nicol could not come close.

Yzak took his beam saber and charged at the Strike who shot with his rifle. The beam was parried by the Duel's shield.

"You're not getting away this time!" The red uniform shouted.

"I'm not about to be defeated here!" Kira yelled back, letting go of his rifle and taking his own beam saber and lunging. They clashed. They disengaged. They howled in rage and attacked again.

Mu was having great difficulty keeping the Buster busy as his weapons had little effect and Dearka managed to shoot one of his gunbarrels with his missiles. But what he lacked in firepower, he compensated with skills and experience.

The Laurasia-class frigate was firing all its armaments to destroy both the Archangel and the Blast and was being rather difficult to approach too. Seren also had to deal with the Buster's occasional but well aimed shots. The legged ship dodged using a random evasion algorithm and fired with the Gottfrieds. The beams passed without damage and the ZAFT vessel kept attacking. The shot hit the Archangel's number 6 sensor array! Temperature rising within the laminated armor! The anti-beam charges stopped two more but the battleship of the Earth Forces was struck again. The armor cooling system couldn't keep up! The temperature of the ship's hull was rising rapidly! It wouldn't last another two hits! Noticing the situation of the Archangel, Seren abandoned all defense and charged at the Gamow and dived under it.

The Archangel turned bow, 20 to starboard. The Blitz had managed to close in and land on the ship. They couldn't use they cannons. Their mobile weapons were still in the midst of battle. The black gundam fired at point black range. Miriallia contacted Kira and Seren. The Blitz had come up right to the bridge! They had to get back here! The Coordinators stared in horror at the zoomed footage of their ship being shot again and again.

"The Archangel is...!" With their chest so tight with fear that they felt they were about to implode, they saw the Montgomery explode due to their weakness and inability to protect it, they imagined Flay's consternation after losing the sole relative she had left due to their weakness and inability to protect him, they remembered Flay's promise to that child... _"It'll be alright, because this onii-chan and onee-chan will fight for us and protect us."_...

"I won't let you sink the Archangel!"

Seren and Kira raised their heads and their eyes, their expressions had changed, like something had snapped within them, like a seed exploding, releasing the full extent of all their capacities that were usually bottled up. Seren dodged every single shot with minimum movement and dived at top speed under the Gamow and cut into its left wing. She reappeared behind, and shot all its cannons and railguns as she returned to the Archangel-class.

Kira sidestepped the Duel's slash, got behind and struck sideways, deeply gashing its cockpit. The Strike and the Blast rushed to the Archangel. Yzak followed and fired but not a single shot hit.

The Blast blocked the Buster's beams with its shield and disintegrated its weapon and sped on without the slightest deviation. It put away its rifle and took a beam saber.

"Stop it!" Kira screamed, slashing at the Blitz that jumped back in time but couldn't evade the Strike's knee.

"Gotcha!" Yzak roared. The Strike's pilot turned, grabbed the combat knife and stabbed the duel's cockpit while in the same time the Blast stabbed the cockpit's right side from above with its beam saber. It was too far to the side to physically injure the pilot but the damage it would make was undeniable. Sparks showered. An explosion occurred. Seren withdrew her weapon and using the X102 as a stepping stone, jumped at the Blitz and deeply sliced its right arm before turning and heel kicking the enemy's head. She returned at the Strike's side. Nicol joined his comrade and held the Duel.

"Yzak! Yzak! Are you alright?!" He shouted worriedly. "Dearka!"

"What's wrong, Nicol?" Dearka was still fighting with La Flaga. With the rifle destroyed, he could only use his gun launcher and the missiles.

"It's Yzak!" The explosion had broken the visor of his helmet and the shards had injured his face.

"Yzak?!" The Buster's pilot repeated, incredulous. To think that their leader could be injured like this...

"Dearka, we must retreat! The enemy fleet is coming and the Gamow has been severly damaged!" Nicol took over. Dearka cursed. And they returned to the Laurasia-class.

The victorious Earth Alliance units landed on the Archangel's deck. Their pilots were breathing heavily.

"They left! You were marvelous, kids!" La Flaga complimented them.

"Lieutenant." They muttered. They were back to normal.

"You..." Mu whispered, sensing that something was different. But he chose to ignore it. "No, you two are unbelievable."

"Not really." The enhanced humans replied. They did not particularly appreciate being praised for feats of arms.

But now, the 8th Fleet was there at last...

"That's right. We must have them beat up _all_ the bad guys..." Flay was sitting on her bed, and another cruel smile curved her lips. "Otherwise, the war will never end..."

* * *

A sad awakening, despair that we cannot hide. When the other is not there, how can we understand each other? We searched for the answer. We didn't want to make excuses for things we couldn't understand. We just wanted to protect what was important to us.

* * *

**Author's note: thanks to those who decided to follow this story and put it as favorite. Also, I decided to put a little poll on my profile. You can take it if you want to test your intuition and/or your insight/foresight :)**


	12. By our own will

**Phase-12: By our own will**

"It's too bad that we have to part so soon after we finally got to see each other." Lacus lamented as Athrun was escorting her to the shuttle that would transfer her to the Laurasia-class under Laconi's command that would return her to PLANT.

"The people of PLANT are worried about you." The boy reasoned. They landed. Rau and the other soldiers saluted.

"Commander Le Creuset has also done a lot for me during my stay. Thank you for everything."

"Laconi says he will personally see to your safety." The commander informed her. Lacus asked whether the Vesalius would be back for the memorial ceremony but he didn't know.

"I'm sure war results are important, but please do not forget about the people who fell victims to the war." The idol kindly reminded him.

"I will take your words to heart." Le Creuset replied with the same tone.

"'What is it that one must fight against?' War is very difficult." The girl turned her compassionate and understanding gaze towards her fiancé whose chest and handsome face tightened with pain. "Well then I'll look forward to the day we can meet again." She said her goodbyes with a smile and boarded the shuttle.

From a porthole, the Commander and the elite pilot watched as the shuttle flew towards the Laurasia-class.

"'What is it that one must fight against?'" Le Creuset repeated, almost derisively. The young soldier turned to him. "You've heard about Yzak and the Gamow?"

"Yes." Athrun answered after a moment. Yzak's injury, and the significant damage on the Gamow...

"The Strike... unless you shoot it down, you could be its next victim... And the Blast... she's actually the one that dealt the most physical damage... but she's also the most naïve... She almost never goes for the kill, especially against the units we stole. Despite having her enemies at her mercy, she lets them escape. That weakness must be taken advantage of before she realizes the reality of war... or we will regret it from our graves..." The man put a hand on his shoulder and floated away. What they should fight against was obvious. Athrun looked on with a very distressed expression. His friends had killed and tried to kill each other... His friend had hurt another friend. His friend had killed some of his allies and yet in her own way, protected his friends. _"that weakness must be taken advantage of..."_ Calling her kindness and compassion a weakness... killing Seren... killing Kira... despite everything that had been said, despite everything that had been done, more than anything, even if he didn't have the right to, even if he didn't know how to, he still wanted to protect these two...

"Turn 180 degrees. Reduce speed another 20% and match velocity." Captain Ramius instructed. And the Archangel took its place into the 8th Fleet and sailed right to the side of its flagship, the Agamemnon-class carrier Menelaos. Watching the footage of the fleet and the Menealos, the civilians in the lounge all had happiness and intense relief written all over them. Almost three weeks after the collapse of Heliopolis, after having their hopes raised and dashed so many times already, they could finally see the end of the tunnel. They had arrived at last! After all, who would be stupid enough to attack a whole fleet?!

"But is this really alright... for us to sail right besides the Menelaos?" Neumann wondered, although unable to contain his smile and the light edge of excitation in his tone. Indeed, despite their sheer war waging ability and achievements, they just didn't have the 'status'.

"Rear Admiral Halberton probably wants a good look at the ship." Murrue devised, doing a (very) slightly better job at controlling her emotions. "He says he will personally visit us later. The Rear Admiral was the number one supporter of the development of this ship and the Gs."

Hundreds of Orb civilians had gathered in the hallways with their luggage. They were to be transferred to the Menelaos so they could board a shuttle that would take them down to Earth. But Kuzzey was fearfully wondering what would happen to them Heliopolis engineering students who had taken on jobs on the battleship. But Sai, Tolle and Milly weren't the least bit worried. Of course they'd be able to disembark! They might be wearing uniforms but they were still civilians after all! Flay, though, had a rather unexpected expression. Even though she had been rejoicing with everyone earlier, now she appeared confused, conflicted...

The captain left her post, telling her subordinates to hold the fort a moment. She was joined in the elevator by her vice captain who had things to discuss with her...

"What do you plan to do about the Strike and the Blast?" The ensign asked bluntly.

"Plan to do? What do you mean?"

"Everyone aboard this ship knows that we were only able to make it this far because of these machines' abilities, and because those two were the ones piloting them. Are you letting them go as well?" Natarle voiced her opinion. Murrue was frowning sadly. The door slid open and without giving an answer, she closed her eyes and flew away. Badgiruel went after her.

"I understand what you're trying to say, Natarle. But Kira and Seren are not members of the military. Seren notably has made her point clear a number of times, hasn't she?" The brown-haired woman argued. The vice captain looked down. She was remembering the mock trial... and what had caused it, and many occurences before that. But even though, Seren had dealt such damage to the Gamow and the enemy units, same for Kira!

"But their abilities are extremely valuable!" She insisted. "We can't afford to lose them!"

"Regardless of their power and abilities, we can't force them to join, can we?" The captain stopped and looked straight at her. That one had obviously got the ensign. They had arrived at a crossroad. Ramius closed her eyes and left. Although when she opened her eyes again, they were full of incertainty.

Mu was very relaxedly lying down, floating and dozing, near the entrance of his Moebius Zero. Suddenly Kira popped up from the shaft below, scaring him to death. He wanted to know what was with all that rush. They were with the fleet now! The enemy couldn't attack a whole fleet, right? They were in security.

"I feel uneasy while it remains damaged!" The lieutenant snapped back, his fist up, still angry after having been woken up like this.

"He's right, Kira. ZAFT has a habit of attacking at the last minute right before the goal when we think everything's safe and we relax the most. The Commander of the Vesalius is especially skilled. We must be careful." Seren agreed with a scolding motherly tone, popping up between the two men. La Flaga had asked them both to help [the mechanics] repair his mobile armor [while he was napping].

"The pilots of the 8th fleet are all youngsters. Should something happen, we'll need the lieutenant to sortie." Murdoch concurred, coming over towards them. The lieutenant made a thumb up. But more importantly, the Coordinators wanted to know about the Strike and the Blast. Was it really alright to leave them as they were?

"Eh? Hum... well, I do get your point, but going through the trouble of returning them to their original state and lowering their performance is somewhat..." Mu seemed also quite perplexed as to what should be done.

"If possible, one would hope that certain people would stay and keep operating them as they are..." The female lieutenant arrived, smiling sincerely, kindly, understandingly. The men were surprised to see the captain in such a place. "Sorry to interrupt. I wanted to talk to Kira-kun and Seren-kun." She apologized. But then she noticed the rather wary look the mobile suit pilots were giving her. "Don't make such suspicious expressions." She said lightly. "But I guess it can't be helped." The woman admitted good-heartedly. After all, each time she would personally see them, it was to threaten, convince, or force them into something. They followed her.

"I really didn't have the time for the chance to have a good talk with you. I... just wanted to thank you properly." The captain turned to them, a little embarrassed. That surprised them. "I put you through a great deal of hardship. I'm truly grateful for what you've done." She bowed, which surprised them even more. "I said many unreasonable things and you still did your best. I'm truly grateful."

"Uhh, it's alright, Captain..." Kira was the one getting embarrassed. Seren kept staring at her.

"Although the others don't put it into words, everyone is thankful to you as well." The captain raised herself and both Coordinators were touched by the motherliness of her smile. "Given the current situation, I imagine things will be hard on you even if you go down to Earth, but I wish you the best of luck." She held out her hand. Kira took it and squeezed it. Lieutenant Murrue Ramius was a good and just officer, and a good human. She was warm, open, kind, caring, and supportive. And yet she could also be very firm, and strong. She was not just a superior praying for her subordinates' well-being, somehow, she also reminded Seren of a parent respectful of her children's decision and wishing them good luck. Even though the paths they had chosen were different, they would always be in each other's thoughts.

"Lieutenant Ramius, it's true that we suffered a lot. But even though we don't eye to eye so often, we can also say that you and everyone on this ship are good people. And in this turmoil, Kira and I – and I don't think I'm wrong when I speak for him – feel lucky to have been picked up by you. I guess it could be called a stroke of fortune in all our misfortune. Anyway... we are glad to have met you and we also wish the best to you and this ship." The girl tightly clasped the woman's hand with a warm and sincere smile.

A shuttle from the Menelaos boarded the Archangel and Rear Admiral Lewis Halberton came out, very pleasantly surprised to see his beloved student, Murrue Ramius, all well and waiting for him. She, the two other commissioned officers, as well as the surviving members of the original crew with posts on the bridge were saluting. When the fleet commander had first heard about the collapse of Heliopolis he had thought everything was over. He was glad to see her, especially since he had been a little nervous because of the battle earlier. He asked everyone whether they were alright. Natarle Badgiruel and Mu La Flaga stepped forth and introduced themselves. Halberton shook his hand and rejoiced of his presence and contribution to the protection of this ship and the Gs. He then asked about the youngsters in uniform a little further away. The kanchou confirmed they were the students of Heliopolis who had helped on the ship. The Rear Admiral pushed past Natarle and went to them, joined by the Captain of the Menelaos. He had checked each of their families and they were all safe. Everyone was greatly relieved. Halberton-shousho also expressed his heartfelt thanks for their having worked so hard in this harsh situation. Hoffman-taisa reminded him in a low voice that they didn't have much time. He nodded.

"I'd love the opportunity to sit down and talk with all of you later." And the officers left. Kira seemed to be having mixed feelings. It was clear that this man had not spoken out of politeness or conventions. Often, the higher people climbed, the less they would care about the ones down the ladder. But he was different. His words were not empty. He really meant them. Even though he had achieved such a high rank, he was still a simple man who knew what was truly important. And that deserved respect. And from just this tiny exchange, the Rear Admiral appeared to have already gained some of Seren's appreciation, which was not such a common feat. However, it should not be forgotten that he was also partly responsible for the development of the G weapons in Heliopolis... If only those gundams hadn't been here...

"The Ziegler and the Gamow have joined us. Although they are not entirely operational, the Gamow has hurried the repairs and should be able to take part in the battle." Ades reported to Commander Le Creuset. The blonde officer wanted to know whether they had been detected. "No, since much of the fleet has descended to quite a low point."

Rau had initially thought they would head towards the Moon headquarters but it seemed like they were planning to bring the Legged Ship down to Earth with probably Alaska as the target point, which would be troublesome. He'd prefer to sink it while it was still in their backyard. The Ziegler had six GINNs, the Vesalius five machines including the Aegis. The Gamow could send out the Buster and the Blitz. It was time for the famous Rear Admiral Halberton to retire... Le Creuset smirked.

"But for just one ship and two Gs, Heliopolis and Artemis were destroyed." Hoffman clearly doubted that the benefits were worth the costs. The three officers of the Archangel were standing before the Halberton's desk. Lieutenant Ramius closed her eyes guiltily. Indeed, even though the Archangel and the G-weapons had been intended to become the spearhead of the Earth Forces, a civilian colony and an allied base were no small sacrifices... Until now their existence had caused more harm than good.

"However, I'm sure that the fact that they at least protected the Strike, the Blast, and this ship will eventually prove to be an advantage to us." The highest officer argued. This ability to judge matters on the long run instead of confining himself to immediate profit was certainly part of his invaluableness.

"It seems Alaska does not think that way." Hoffman debated.

"Humph. What do they know about war in space? Lieutenant Ramius understood my intentions all along. There's nothing in this matter that can be considered a problem."

"Your Excellency..." Murrue whispered, touched.

"Then are we to turn a blind eye to the matter of these young Coordinators?" The Captain of the Menelaos questioned, an eyebrow raised before the shadow of a malicious and derisive smirk curved his lips.

"Kira Yamato and Seren Ashford wanted to protect their friends. They piloted the Strike and the Blast for that reason only. We likely would not have made it this far if not for the abilities of those youngsters. But because of the current situation, they had to fight against their own kind and they suffered greatly because of it. They are sincere and kind youths. I believe we should respond to them with trust." The brown-haired lieutenant honestly conveyed her and the children's wishes. She did not want to betray their expectations after everything they had done.

In their room, Kira and Seren, who had been playing with their robotic pets, left.

Natarle frowned at her superior.

"However, if we let them go like this..." Hoffman trailed off, still not convinced.

"If I may say a word, I agree with Captain Hoffman." Ensign Badgiruel suddenly stepped forward, surprising her fellow Archangel officers. "Their abilities are obvious, and should not be left alone. And since they know about the G-weapons' secrets, letting them disembark like this would be..."

"Humph. ZAFT already has four of those machines. Hardly a secret at this point."

"H-however... their power is extremely valuable! I believe it would be best to have them join the military... "

"But according to what Lieutenant Ramius has said, it doesn't seem like they have any intention of joining."

"His parents and her father are Naturals currently living on Earth since the collapse of Heliopolis. If the army took them into custody..."

"Don't spout nonsense!" The Rear Admiral angrily slammed his fist on the desk, scaring the ensign. "What use would such soldiers be to us?! That would be the surest way of making them our enemies!" Taking parents hostages to make the children risk their lives to fight against their own people... Natarle profoundly apologized and stepped back. "Besides, there's an issue with that girl's father. This is something known by very few people but I think you are trustworthy enough so I will share this information with you." Halberton took out a laptop, typed a series of codes and showed them a confidential file. Murrue, Natarle and Mu gaped, wide eyed, when they saw.

"What?!"

"That's..."

"This is the truth about her and her father's identity. Upon hearing that his daughter was fighting that man decided to come out of retirement and return to his former office. Being part of that family and having close ties with the Royal one... it would be very unwise to make an enemy out of any of their members and strain our relationship with that country." Lewis closed the file and the laptop. "I ask that you keep this information in your heart and that you do not speak of it to anyone." He looked straight at them. The three stepped back, straightened themselves and saluted. "What happened in the past is not important. The problem is what to do from here on." The Rear Admiral stood up. He then informed them that they would have the Archangel descend to the Alaska Headquarters with the same personnel roster. The trio was surprised. The Archangel was a SPACEship.

Kira and Seren arrived at the hangar where practically all the civilians were preparing to board the shuttle. But at the entrance, they stopped and looked down. They looked at each other and continued.

In another part, Murdoch was seeing to the transfer of ammunitions... and was shocked to find out that two skygraspers had been added to the Archangel's arsenal. Hey, hey, those were support fighters made for combat in the atmosphere!

"The advance force that we sent with supplementary personnel has been shot down. So right now we don't have additional crew to allocate to the Archangel." Hoffman explained.

"However, now that Heliopolis has been destroyed, it's all the more important to get the Archangel and the G-weapons along with all of its data down to Alaska." Halberton pointed out. Ramius tried to emit a protest but there was no way around it. They had to get the development of the G-weapons on tracks. ZAFT would doubtlessly continue to send new machines. Despite that, to those idiotic people who threw in funds on useless affairs for their own benefits, the number of soldiers lost on the battlefield was just a figure on paper!

"Very well. I'll be sure to deliver your thoughts to Alaska." The female lieutenant saluted with a smile.

"As a surviving mobile armor pilot, it's an order I can't refuse." La Flaga did the same. The Rear Admiral bowed lightly. He was counting on them.

In a cabin, the Heliopolis students who had helped aboard were greatly surprised to receive their discharge permission. As Kira and Seren were not here, Badgiruel gave the precious papers to Tolle, asking him to give them away later. Indeed, even though it was an emergency situation, it was a crime for civilians to enact the role of military personnel. So to avoid the problem, they had been recognized as volunteer soldiers having enrolled before the incident. The papers said they belonged to the Archangel of the 8th Fleet. Of course, the idea that such laws existed had never once brushed the teens' minds. Hoffman also insisted on the fact that they were subject to confidentiality on information they had been exposed to during military duties even after they would have disembarked. Suddenly, Flay interrupted him. The ensign told her that since she had not participated in combat, she didn't need to go through these procedures.

"No, that's not what I want to ask." She stepped forward. "I... would like to join the military!" She declared, shocking her friends.

The Coordinators were standing on their machine's cockpit, staring pensively at the Strike's and the Blast's head. Torii was on Kira's shoulder while Chacha had chosen Seren's neckline. So much had happened. Their 'reunion' with Athrun in the burning factory, their first fight with the GINN and the Aegis in Heliopolis, and... Their contemplation was suddenly interrupted.

"Are you suddenly feeling nostalgic now that you're disembarking?" They turned to see Lewis Halberton on the passageway. "I take it you're Kira Yamato and Seren Ashford. I read about you in the report." There was kindness in his eyes and smile. "But once again, I'm taken aback... by the sheer abilities of you Coordinators. Those were built to cope with ZAFT's mobile suits but with you guys in them, they become incredible super weapons." The man said, genuinely impressed, without the slightest hint of hostility, greed, envy or anything along the line or that would suggest the presence of some hidden agenda concerning them. He was so different from those people of Artemis. He just simply acknowledged them and accepted them wholly, as fellow humans, just like captain Ramius and lieutenant La Flaga had done.

"That's not-" Kira began, once again, embarrassed. Because he could, he had wanted to do something. That was all there was to it.

"I understand your parents are Naturals."

"Y-yes."

"What kind of dream were they embracing when they made you Coordinators...?" Halberton wondered.

Kira recoiled slightly. He too had often asked himself that very same question... during all those sleepless nights, when he was being gripped by thoughts of all those he had been forced to fight and kill ever since he had first boarded the Strike. And he remembered Seren's words... _"Kira, no matter what anyone says you must never be ashamed to be a Coordinator. Because that would be denying who you are, that would be denying me, that guy, and the hopes our parents entrusted to us by making us this way." _He turned to his childhood friend. Her face was showing no emotion but he wasn't fooled.

"In any case, I'd like nothing more than a quick end to this war!" The Rear Admiral hoped. It was then a subordinate came to fetch him. He was requested to return to the Menelaos immediately. "Here we go again." He sighed. "I'm not even given the chance to have a proper conversation with you guys, especially you, Seren-kun. Your father has returned to his former post in Orb. And he also asked me to deliver a message to you: Just do what you feel is right. In any case, I thank you both for protecting the Strike, the Blast, and the Archangel to this point. Don't die before the arrival of a better day!" Halberton saluted and started leaving but was stopped by the two enhanced humans.

"Sir! Hum... what's going to happen to the Archangel, lieutenant Ramius and the others?"

"The Archangel will proceed onto Earth as is. They will go into the battlefield again."

"Uh... well..." Kira stuttered again. Was it really alright for them to leave like this? And the fact that he didn't try to convince them to stay was somehow disturbing.

"I know what you're concerned about." The officer began after a pause. "Your abilities are certainly attractive to the military. However, it's not as if we'd be sure to win if we had you. War's not that simple! Don't flatter yourselves!"

"B-but... I thought that if we had the power, we should do what we could...!" The boy insisted. The Rear Admiral's subordinate also insisted. It was high time to leave. But his superior silenced him with a movement of his hand.

"Only if you have the will! One without will cannot see anything through!" The man clarified. He turned heels and started leaving. Suddenly, Seren yelled after him.

"Your Excellency! Next time such a project is put into place, please make sure it isn't done in a civilian colony!" She requested. She was smiling very politely and amiably... but a black aura was leaking out! Her real feelings were overflowing! She was still very angry! Her childhood friend fearfully looked from one to the other and back again, stuttering, trying to do something. She was casually threatening, scolding and ordering a Rear Admiral of the Earth Army! And before that her father had just used that same person as a mere messenger!

"I'll do my best to prevent it." Halberton smiled, raised his hand, and left.

"What are you talking about?" Natarle asked Flay. Did she realize what she was saying? Now wasn't the time for her whims!

"I'm not saying this just for the fun of it. After my father was killed, I thought about a lot of things." The girl replied gravely. Hoffman instantly guessed she was the daughter of vice minister Allster. "Yes, I'm Flay Allster. I was in deep shock when my father was killed. 'I don't want anymore of this,' 'I don't want to be in a place like this,' that was all I thought about. But when we met up with the fleet and I realized I could finally land on Earth, I felt very uneasy about something!"

"Uneasy?"

"Should I really be feeling safe? Is this really peace? Not at all!" Flay started sobbing. Her grief, her pain, her determination, her will to do something... those were doubtlessly real. Those were her perfectly sincere feelings. And, still, her hands joined in her prayer, her expression, her tone, her countenance, the way she moved... were all so dramatic, theatrical, she was exactly like the heroine of a tragedy shining on a stage. "The world is still at war! Being in a neutral country I just didn't realize it. My father was working very hard to end the war. If fighting is the only way to bring true peace and relief... I want to carry on my father's will and fight on! Even though my strength may not be of much use to the military..." She cried in her hands. Her upbringing had been that of a lady, a princess, a doll, innocent, weak, ignorant, who just needed to laugh and look pretty every day and who would one day marry a good man. Her fiancé held her in his arms, comforted her, before she was taken away by the officers who had been completely convinced and persuaded by her and greatly sympathized. Even the usually very stern (if not scary-looking) ensign, wore a very soft, sad and empathic expression.

""The world is still at war" eh?" Sai repeated. They all looked at their Discharge Permission.

Kira and Seren were now at the back of the line of refugees waiting to board the shuttle. They were looking around, searching for their friends when Elle-chan, the adorable little pig-tailed girl, noticed them. She let go of her mother and went to hug them tightly. Then, from her little bag, she drew two paper flowers.

"Thank you for protecting us till now." She smiled sweetly and handed the flowers. The teens' eyes widened. They knelt down and most gratefully accepted those gifts that looked so tiny and trivial and yet meant so much to them. The child returned to her mother and waved. The two watched with a small smile.

Sai tore his discharge permission, surprising his friends. What Flay had said was actually what he had been feeling as well. Besides, he couldn't leave only her behind. Tolle tore his paper too. The Archangel was short-staffed after all. He would feel bad if it was shot down later. Milly also ripped her permission. If her boyfriend stayed then so would she. And since Kuzzey didn't want to be the only one leaving, he also ripped his paper. Tolle called Sai an idiot (for missing this chance). Sai replied that he was an idiot too. Tolle insisted and Sai accepted. They all laughed. But then Tolle saw Kira's and Seren's permissions. Those two would be sure to discharge.

In the Vesalius, the mechanics were taking care of the last checks. The mobile suits would take off in three minutes. Athrun boarded the Aegis and activated it with a determined and still pained look on his face. The Ziegler and the Gamow were undergoing similar preparations. And a poor soldier was doing his best to keep Yzak from going. Although the young pilot had been bandaged and had rested (a little), his wound was still serious. But the plea fell on deaf ears and annoyed the elite. His cool and handsome features distorted by rage and a mad thirst for revenge, he went to the Duel.

The line of refugees was quickly advancing with the two mobile suit pilots closing the line. In a minute, it would be over. It was then that Tolle called them from behind. He was accompanied by Milly, Kuzzey, and Sai. The Coordinators were surprised to see them still in their uniform, and they had been worried since none of them had been here. Tolle handed Kira a rolled paper, and Miriallia did the same with Seren. It was their discharge permission. They had all decided to stay with the Archangel, with the army. The childhood friends were shocked.

Suddenly, the fleet detected one Nazca-class and two Laurasia-class battleships. The estimated time before encountering the enemy was 15 minutes! Hoffman and Halberton cursed. At a time like this...

"Stop loading. Close bay. Has the Menelaos launched yet?" Ramius asked. She was answered by the negative. "Make them hurry! All hands, level one battle alert!" She too was extremely tense and resented this timing.

"You're staying? What do you mean? Kira demanded. Kuzzey replied that Flay had joined the military. The genetically enhanced humans were even more shocked. Even though she was always scared, even though she was always crying... she had decided to remain here despite the danger... Kira was scared for her and so was Seren, but the female Coordinator thought even further... did she hate all Coordinators that much? Her chest tightened. She brushed that thought away. And since Flay had joined, so had those four, because they couldn't leave her alone... The alarm rang. All hands were to take their level 1 battle stations.

"Hey, you over there! We're leaving!" A soldier warned them.

"Ha, please wait a moment, they're going!" Tolle yelled back. The two turned to him. "Think of this as fate! Bye! Make sure you reach Earth safely!" He pushed them towards the door of the shuttle.

"Stay alive!" Sai wished them luck.

"No matter what happens, please don't join ZAFT!" Kuzzey half joked. Milly was waving. They were all smiling. Anxious, scared, pained, confused, conflicted, the Coordinators gazed at them.

Mobile suits left the ZAFT ships. Athrun Zala took off. So did Yzak. Everyone wanted him to stay put because of his injury but he just ordered them to shut up and guide him out. He cursed the Strike and the Blast. This assault shroud would avenge his humiliation!

A soldier told Kira and Seren to hurry and board the shuttle. In the middle of the preparation for battle, they were staring off into space in the direction where their friends had gone. They had gone. They would go back into battle. La Flaga was also going to sortie. Or course. The repairs were finished. Trembling, the two looked at their discharge permission. Those guys... they had never once begged to be saved themselves or tried to manipulate them, use them or used their affection to their advantage. Always, they had done everything they could to protect them, support them, alleviate their burden, to save them... even now, those guys sincerely wished for them to be safe and happy, free from all the suffering they had to endure as pilots, having to kill their own kind, having to fight their friend... while they were going back into battle...

_Just what are we doing? What do we want to do? What must we do? _

To leave or to fight. They were trembling because they wanted both, to leave, and to protect.

Kira and Seren clutched their paper flower and raised them to their view.

_"Thank you for protecting us." _

_"Given the current situation, I imagine things will be hard on you even if you go down to Earth, but I wish you the best of luck."_

_"You have the power, so just do what you can."_

Their beautiful faces reflected all the violence and turbulence of their feelings. And soon, they understood. Their determination overcame their confusion, grief, and weaknesses. They crumpled their papers and told the soldiers to go without them. They threw the precious documents and flew away, staring at their paper flower. They had understood that even though they would certainly regret their current decision, it would be nothing compared to the regrets they would have felt had they gone like this.

* * *

If we could know ourselves just a little better, suppressing the voice inside that wants to run away, we ask ourselves 'what can we do?'. The moment we began to doubt we felt ourselves standing on our own two legs. We have no reason to keep pushing forward, but right now, we just have to. And unable to do anything we actually want to do, we bind 'ourselves' to 'responsibility'. But that too, is also our will.

* * *

**Author's note: since only 2 people voted on the poll for now, I'm also asking here: who do think you'll I'll choose as final love interest, Kira or Athrun? (I've already decided by the way lol) You can answer by voting on the poll in my profile or by review or by PM (if you choose a review or a PM, it'd be nice if you explained the reason(s) why you selected the person you did :p). In her own reviews on this story, Daisuki1993 is telling you where to look for the hints. And I also thank her for her reviews :)  
**

**Also, I think that for Seren's voice actress, I'd pick Sawashiro Miyuki... with the same pitch as the way she voiced Kusaribe Hakaze in Zetsuen no Tempest (Blast of Tempest). **


	13. Falling stars

**Phase-13: Falling stars**

"All vessels, take counterattack positions in tight formation." Rear Admiral Halberton ordered. "Archangel, don't move. Remain beside this ship."

Mobile armors were launched. The supply ships were told to withdraw. The Archangel activated the igelstellung, loaded the Corinthos, and prepared to fire the Gottfried and Lohengrin cannons. The Blitz, Buster, Duel, and Aegis left their ships and activated their phase shift armor.

In the Archangel's pilots' changing room, Flay was intently staring at Seren's pilot suit. She was still hesitating. The four Heliopolis students arrived on the bridge and apologized for their lateness. They returned to their posts, under the staff's incredulous gaze – except Natarle Badgiruel who informed captain Ramius that they had formally enlisted. Captain Hoffman had accepted and she had approved. The teens smiled or did thumbs up.

The first explosions occurred when the GINNs and EA mobile armors engaged in a shoot out. Le Creuset reminded his troops that the target was still the Legged Ship so they must not spend much time on the others. One by one, the MAs dropped like flies, inflicting little damage to their enemies.

Seren was first to enter the changing room and saw Flay before her open locker. Both were surprised. Then she understood what she had been thinking of doing... and berated her.

"Are you insane? I know I told you to fight but this is too much! It's impossible for you to pilot a gundam! Do you want to die?!"

"But I thought you had left so I... I..."

"Well, sorry but I'm back now. I'll be on the frontlines so take care of the back." Seren ushered her out since she needed to hurry. Once she had closed the door again, Kira arrived and noticed Flay who saw him. She threw herself in his arms, stunning him.

The battle raged on, with a positively overwhelming advantage for the ZAFT forces. The 8th Fleet was being utterly decimated! But after all, the ones inflicting the most damage were those four... the Duel, the Buster, the Blitz, the Aegis... Halberton cursed. Hoffman admitted they were certainly impressive mobile suits but as enemies they were nothing but trouble. He ordered to shoot them down no matter what it took. The massacre continued.

"Flay... why...?" Kira muttered, shocked. She raised her tearful blue eyes towards him, her beautiful face just a few centimeters away from his. There was relief, gratefulness, and...

"I thought you had left us... so I..." She began softly. "Everyone's fighting, except for me… even though I was the first one to say I'd remain..." She squeezed him tighter, burying her face in his shoulder. "So I... I was going to…."

"You can't mean... Flay! Don't be so foolish!" The boy grabbed her arms and pulled her away, appalled by her stupidity. There was no way she could operate a mobile suit and even if she somehow managed to get out, she'd get killed right away! "It's impossible for a girl like you to try and pilot a mobile suit!" He stared straight back at her.

"But Seren-"

"You're not Seren! Seren and you are completely different! Anyhow, it's impossible for you!"

"But I-"

"Leave the Blast to her. If it's her, she'll be alright. So let me handle the Strike. We'll fight for the three of us, Flay." Kira's purple eyes softened as he gazed at the girl very tenderly. She was taken aback, as much by his confession as by the sheer affection that emanated from him. She whispered his name. "So hmm... I'll take your thoughts to heart..." He blushed self-consciously. He let go and turned to the door. "I won't run away anymore. I've decided. And so did Seren. It can't be helped. We have to end this war. We'll do what we can..." He affirmed. After looking down for a second, Flay approached him, placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him around.

"Then my thoughts... will protect you." She voiced softly, sensually, like a lover's whisper. She leant in and silenced the boy with a kiss. There was a moment's lapse. Kira was shocked, unable to react. And then he gave in. His eyes closed and he kissed her back, his arms wrapped around her waist. That was, after all, what he had always wanted...

And then the door opened, revealing Seren, dressed in her pilot suit. Her hazel eyes widened. The two immediately pulled away.

"Seren!" Kira cried in surprise and embarrassement. The Blast's pilot averted her eyes and left without a word. "Se-" He reached out but stopped. Right now, there was nothing he could say, no point in saying anything as she wouldn't listen anyway – and he knew of her sentiment towards Flay too – and most importantly, they had no time...

"Halberton intends to land that ship on Earth no matter what." Le Creuset remarked. He was keeping it stashed away in the back without making it participate in battle. And as Ades pointed out, it was easier this way for ZAFT if the Strike and Blast didn't come out. "He knows that they can longer beat us with battleships and mobile armors. He's quite the general. I heard he was the one who had those things made. Then the least I can do is to prove to him in this battle that his views have merit." The Commander smirked as he watched the battle storming before him. Using their special features, the X102, X103, X207 and the X303 each destroyed a battleship with a single blow before going on to others. But the ones the Duel was frantically searching for – the Blast, and especially the Strike – were nowhere to be found.

In the Menelaos, grim reports came one after the other. The Seleukos had been damaged, further combat not possible. The Cassalos had been silenced. The Antigonos and the Ptolemaios had been sunk. Four vessels taken out only six minutes into battle! The enemy Nazca-class and Laurasia-class were approaching! Measured irradiation directed at the Seleukos and the Cassandros! The burning and smoking ships went down.

Rau Le Creuset commented that Athrun and Nicol were being too kind. If they left anyone, they would come back with a new weapon. The Vesalius and the Ziegler shot and destroyed two more vessels. Hoffman and Halberton couldn't believe such cruelty... to shoot escaping ships! The Rear Admiral cursed Le Creuset.

On the bridge of the Archangel, their chests tight and their eyes wide, the staff was watching the ZAFT forces annihilate the 8th Fleet. Even if ZAFT was outnumbered by far, they outclassed by an even greater distance the Natural army. The captain Ramius received a call. It was Mu La Flaga who was itching to get out.

"Hey! Why am I still on standby?! Even the 8th Fleet must be in trouble against those machines! My mobile armor alone won't make much a difference, but still!"

"We haven't been given the go-ahead to engage! Please continue standing by!" Ramius instructed even though she shared his sentiment and wanted nothing more than to help too. The pilot protested but was cut off. The captain asked to be connected to the Menelaos.

The Xerxes and the Paris went up front to defend the flagship against the approaching X-numbers. Hoffman was getting more desperate and ordered to use the beams and shoot those four units down. A soldier reported the real time connection to the Archangel. The Archangel asked for authorization to leave the fleet immediately and enter descent sequence at once. Captain Hoffman accused them of trying to run away on their own.

"The enemy target is this ship! Unless we move away, the whole fleet will be destroyed!" Murrue argued. "Alaska would be impossible. But from this position, we will be able to descend into Earth Forces territory. If we can survive the attack until we reach the atmosphere's entry limit, we'll be able to shake off the GINNs and the ZAFT ships! Your Excellency!" She begged. The Rear Admiral looked down for a moment, thinking. He saw another ship shattering, and his decision was made.

"I see that your reckless ways haven't changed, Murrue Ramius." The ghost of a smile curved his lips.

"A subordinate learns from her superior, after all." She smiled a bit more frankly.

"Very well! Archangel, prepare for descent at once! We'll cover you to the entry interface. We won't let a single enemy through!"

"Yes, sir!"

The battle raged on. But even though they were still being slaughtered, the EA forces fought bravely and their counterattack grew much fiercer and ZAFT was starting to suffer quite some damage. Even the four units were getting hard pressed. And still, Yzak's thoughts were full of those two...

"Come out, Strike, and Blast! Otherwise... otherwise this pain won't go away!"

Chandra's voice sounded in the Archangel's hangar, warning all units to prepare for atmosphere entry. La Flaga, who was half out of hit armor's cockpit, couldn't believe it. Descend!? In this situation!? The captain started the reconfirmation of the descent sequence. At her command the ablative gel began discarging on the underhull of the ship and would soon cover it entirely. It was a unique feature to the Archangel. However, since the heat-absorbing liquid would evaporate during reentry, the output of liquid had to be continuous. Murdoch complained to Mu that even if he yelled at him, it was not like he could do anything, though it was still better than sitting around doing nothing!

"Even if we're able to shake off the ZAFT ships and the GINNs, those four machines will still be a problem." They heard someone give their opinion. They were very surprised the brat – Kira – in his pilot suit.

"But that's exactly why those four units are precious to them. I don't think Le Creuset will take unnecessary risks with them. He'll call them back. I'm still worried about the Duel and the Buster, though, especially the Duel. Its pilot seemed pretty headstrong. He might go against orders and pursue us." A girl debated. They were just as surprised to see the missie. The teens smiled and informed them they were going to stand by in the Strike and the Blast. They were still at level one battle alert, right? However, while Kira was in genuinely high spirits, Seren's smile seemed rather strained. The adults watched them. Murdoch had been sure they had left the ship. But Mu's blue eyes reflected sadness and guilt. Being exposed to battlefields and wars at such a young age was gonna make their lives much tougher later on. And because they – adults – had no choice but to rely on those children, they were partly guilty too.

Flay was floating in the hallways. She touched her lips. It seemed as if she still couldn't believe what she had done. And her expression also showed uncertainty and hesitation concerning her own feelings. The check of the descent sequence was completed. The systems were all green. Tolle, who had been assigned as the navigator, adjusted the course descent angle. Halberton ordered the Archangel to commence descent. And the descent commenced, engine at 40%, and proceeded at minimal speed.

"Menelaos to all ships controllers. This is Halberton. From this point, the focus of our battle will be to protect the Archangel until it arrives at the atmosphere's entry interface. It will be a grim battle but considering our future situation in this war, we cannot afford to lose this ship. We'll change our formation. With the will and determination of this 8th Fleet, we'll make certain that not one single enemy gets past us! We'll show them what the Earth Forces are made of!" The Rear Admiral motivated his troops. There were situations when people had to make a stand, even if that should be their last and all should be sacrificed.

"The Archangel's moving? That damn Halberton... is he going to send the legged ship down to Earth even by using his fleet as a shield?" Le Creuset swore. To him, that was the worst case scenario. "Close in on them! No matter what, we've gotta destroy that ship before it descends!"

The Blitz, Duel, Buster and Aegis were in the middle of fighting when they noticed that the Archangel was descending. They rushed towards them. The legged ship began the first phase of the sequence. In the CIC, Sai and Milly looked at each other, worried. Seven minutes until the atmosphere entry interface. La Flaga was in his cockpit, his hands on the commands, his eyes closed. The teens were holding and staring at the paper flowers they had received from Elle-chan before sticking them in the gap between two panels. But despite the valiancy it demonstrated, the Earth Alliance army was still incapable of stopping those four gundams. And among them, Yzak and Dearka were the fiercest and most resolute. They broke past the procession of troops. The Menelaos attempted an interception. Kira and Seren called La Flaga. He knew what they wanted to say and called the captain.

"Let us out to fight until the last possible moment. How many minutes do we have?"

"Don't be ridiculous! ... eh? "we"?"

"According to the catalog specs, the Strike is able to descend on its own!"

"The same goes for the Blast!"

"Kira-kun? Seren-kun?" Ramius exclaimed. The whole bridge was shocked. They had all assumed they had left. "Why are you two there?"

"If this keeps up, the Menelaos will be in danger, Captain!" Kira urged his superior.

"We can't lose the Archangel but we can't lose the Rear Admiral and the Menelaos, either, right?!" Seren added. But as the Captain was still wavering, Natarle Badgiruel took it upon herself to answer using Miriallia's interface.

"All right! But return before we reach phase 3! The specs may say it's possible but no one has tested it! We don't know what'll happen in the interiors! Keep your eyes on the time and altitude at all times!"

"Yes!"

"Ensign Badgiruel!" Lieutenant Ramius bolted upright, enraged. She was usually quite permissive but that insubordination just now was just going too far!

"If this ship sinks all the sacrifices the 8th Fleet is making will be in vain!" Natarle retorted. The two women glared at each other. Even though they understood each other, they were unable to reach an understanding.

Dearka, pressed by the lack of time, wanted his enemies to hurry up and die. He shot a ship, piercing it through its whole length. It exploded. He whistled, congratulated himself and went on. On the bridge of the Menelaos, the crew reported the sinking of the Belgrano. Five minutes left to the interface. The Captain Hoffman tried to dissuade the Rear Admiral. They couldn't continue like this, this ship wouldn't hold out! But Halberton would not bend his will. Aboard the Archangel, the catapults deployed. La Flaga was rather anxious as it was also his first time making a sortie in such a situation.

"Kira Yamato, launching!"

"Seren Ashford, heading out!"

The Strike, featured with the Aile pack, the Blast, and the Moebius Zero took off from the Archangel, greatly surprising both Halberton and Le Creuset. The Blast was equipped with a mix of the Blade Blast and the Blast Away to balance long distance shooting with melee combat, give it as much firepower as possible without weighing it too much. Only the Siegfried beam cannon had been left out. With their machines, Kira and Seren felt the pull of the gravity. They pushed a button, pressed a pedal and pulled a lever. They accelerated. Yzak detected them and was glad they had finally made their appearance because now he could make them pay for his injury. He rushed at the Strike whose pilot was shocked to see the new equipment of the Duel. Indeed, clad in its Assault Shroud, the Duel's mobility, range and firepower had significantly increased with the addition of a shiva railgun, a missile pod, extra armor and vernier thrusters. Kira dodged the shots of the shiva railgun. Yzak took out his beam saber and slashed furiously but his attack was blocked and deflected. The Strike put some distance and fired, and dodged another slash, got away, and shot.

The Archangel moved to the second phase of the descent sequence.

Mu shot at the Buster with his wire-controlled gunbarrel pods. Dearka dodged the first wave but the second partly hit him, to almost no effect though due to the phase-shift armor. But this phase shift system, was quite energy-draining, even more so when it was hit. And after his battle with the 8th Fleet, things were starting to get really dangerous for him. And yet, he was still smirking, and enjoying the situation. He fired at the pods with his high energy rifle but missed thanks to La Flaga's skill. But still, those guys were being too persistent!

Four minutes left until the entry point.

Seren engaged the Aegis and the Blitz. She notably focused on the Blitz, maintaining as little distance as possible. Each time its pilot tried to get to far, she's use her cluster bombs, immediately followed by her boomerang and Shwert Gewehr Lanze. Athrun also had difficulty aiming for her from afar since he risked hitting his comrade. And he didn't want to risk killing Seren either. But each time he would come too close, she'd fire at him and keep him at bay. Her aim... had greatly improved again. And she didn't hesitate as much as before. Even though they were two against one, they had such trouble. However, they were skilled too. The Blast had been grazed a number of times. Yet somehow it still seemed as if she possessed another level that she could not or would not enter.

The Menelaos fired. Yzak roared. Kira yelled at him to stop with a pleading tone. Because of the gravitation getting stronger, the Buster was becoming heavier and it was more and more difficult for Dearka to move his machine as he wished. And to everyone's surprise, the Gamow had also come forward. It shot.

"Gamow! You're out too far! What are you doing, Zellman?!" Ades demanded, slamming his fist on his armchair.

"...we cornered them... ...can't be pulling back now... ...already damaged... ...this all started... we... ...the Legged Ship...!" The defective connection stopped altogether. Le Creuset kept quiet. This was a suicide mission. Zellman had made his choice.

La Flaga cursed and attacked the Gamow without much success. Soon, the last escort ship that protected the Menelaos was sunk. Ramius, Halberton, Hoffman, Kira, and Seren gasped. Athrun was shooting at Seren when Nicol contacted him. The Gamow! The two hurried to its help. Seren rushed back too. Rau harshly ordered them back. Trying to go now was useless! They obeyed, but Seren continued. The Laurasia-class and the Agamemnon-class engaged in a shoot out. Both ships were shaking, heavily damaged. The captain of the Menelaos couldn't believe it. Did they plan to sacrifice themselves to destroy them?! The Rear Admiral commanded that the shuttle with the refugees be sent out at once. After coming this far, how could he allow them to sink that shuttle?!

The life boat containing the worried refugees left the Menelaos. The X216 tried to go help the Menelaos but was intercepted by the Duel. The large vessels were starting to heat up dangerously. Seren cursed. She couldn't let it end like this! It was her fault, because she hadn't finished that ship off back then that the Menealos was in this situation! Only two minutes before reaching the third phase before the entry point. The Archangel prepared to release the ablative gel. A shutter went down and covered the the topmost glass panels. Badgiruel ordered the return of the Zero, the Strike, and the Blast. Mu swore. This was as far as he could go. The Gamow and the Menelaos advanced, shooting each other as they slowly reached the other's level.

The Blast shook off the Duel with the Strike's help and charged the Gamow. The Buster had been caught by the Earth's gravitational force and could no longer return. She shot the same point of the already crumbling Laurasia-class with her Schwert Gewehr Lanze and her 88mm high energy rifle. It exploded. Nicol shouted, but the Captain Zellman could no longer hear anything. Seren went to the Menelaos and stood before its bridge. She wanted to do something but it was already too late. Even though she had never done it before or thought she would ever do it one day, she did a military salute. That was... the only thing she could do. Ramius cried Halberton's name. Unable to resist the pressure, the Menelaos was also falling to pieces. Mu shot his anchor on the deck of the Archangel and was able to dock. But the children were still fighting. Stage three began. The ablative gel was released and covered the entire ship as it entered the atmosphere. The Menelaos blew up too. Despite the heavy shaking, the Captain and Vice-Captain were standing and saluting, paying their last respects. An inestimable man had been lost. With their lives, the 8th Fleet had built a bridge, a bridge to freedom, a bridge to the future, and entrusted everything to them. Tears beaded at the corner of Ramius' eyes and floated away.

The Strike and the Duel were still clashing furiously. The Blast was now approaching them. The Aegis and the Blitz had retreated to a safe distance and were watching, powerless, their comrades fighting even as they were descending further and further down. Nicol shouted Yzak's and Dearka's names, but Athrun's thoughts were for Kira and Seren. Inside the hangar, Mu removed his helmet and yelled. The kids were still out there. Tolle, Sai, Milly, Murrue, all worriedly cried Kira's and Seren's names. The boy defended against the Duel's beams, and, roaring, charged and smashed against it. And before its pilot could recover the control of his machine, Kira kicked him away, towards the Buster. Watching the Strike edge back towards the Archangel, Yzak snapped, cursed, and aimed with his rifle. It was then that the shuttle from the Menelaos descended between them, blocking the ZAFT pilot's view.

"Damn...!" Yzak swore. He started shooting again after the shuttle's passage but the Strike had gotten too far away and he couldn't get a single hit. And then, overcome and consumed by fury, he switched targed and aimed at the shuttle. If only it hadn't passed right then and there... "How dare you get in my way..." He snarled venomously.

Seren's and Kira's eyes widened in fear.

"Don't do it! On that shuttle are-" Kira rushed in the shuttle's direction, trying to get there in time to block the beam. Seren charged towards the Duel, aiming at it with her rifle.

"Damn spineless soldiers running away heh?!" Yzak shouted ragingly. He and Seren fired at the same time. She got the Duel's right arm but it was too late. The shot pierced through the small ship. Kira and Seren watched, horrified, as the shuttle exploded.

A small origami flower. A sweet and innocent smile.

_"Thank you for protecting us till now."_

The blast from the explosion projected the mobile suits far away. Kira and Seren screamed as they were falling down.

* * *

We just wanted to surpass it. We were trying to do what we couldn't do before. Thinking that doing it would repent for our sins while keeping us alive. And yet, beaten down by the current, we sank towards profound darkness again. The lights are disappearing. Whom do we remember as we are falling into sleep?


	14. Respective solitudes

**Phase-14: Respective solitudes**

_If you ask a philosopher, there is no such thing as coincidences. Everything inevitably happens for a reason, out of necessity. If that is true, are this war and the fact that I received this information necessary and inevitable? 'There is no point in having a war unless you end it in a victory.' Although a favorite phrase of Patrick Zala, naturally, he's not the only one who feels that way. The enemy is not fighting with any intention of losing either. _Le Creuset chuckled cynically as he took off his mask, recalling his attack on Heliopolis after learning about the G-weapons. He was sitting at his desk in his room and office in the Vesalius.

_After piloting a war machine, there is something I noticed. _Seren pondered, her consciousness seemed to be floating about in the darkness with scenes of the past flashing through her mind. _Both sides fight for justice but the two sides cannot agree with one another. All those standing on the battlefield fire at the enemy for a just cause. To protect their family, their friends, their homes, their convictions, their freedom, their independence... Athrun, Kira, me... is any of us in the wrong? Even though people on both sides wish for peace, why is there war? Some would say the biggest reason was the Bloody Valentine that also killed Athrun's mother. In retaliation to that nuclear attack, ZAFT dispersed and buried neutron jammers, also known as N-jammers. With these, neither side is able to use nuclear weapons. And on a battlefield where nuclear engines and nuclear warheads don't exist, the most powerful forces soon became the special mobile weapons ZAFT developped, the mobile suits. The Earth Forces in the meantime, only had mobile armors developped from conventional weaponry. Perhaps it was natural they'd develop a new weapon of their own. And for that the cooperation of technologically advanced Orb union was necessary. What irony... since Orb is so advanced _because _it's a refuge to _both Coordinators and Naturals_... and since Orb should have been a _neutral_ country... _

_However, simply putting a lid on nuclear weapons by no way meant an end to the war. A dove, a symbol of peace, is not born with a sharp beak or claws for a fatal attack. For this reason, if doves were to fight each other, they say it would be a long, gruesome battle. That seems much like our situation... _Rau smiled at the comparison. _Things that differ... things we don't understand... differences promote anxiety, leading to hatred and then confrontation. It all began with one man, George Glenn. Not only did he obtain his doctorate from MIT at the age of seventeen, he was also an Olympic gold medalist, and a star player in the National American Football League. In addition, he was an ace pilot with the Air Force and made numerous wonderful achievements in the field of space aviation engineering. People from all over the world looked up to this multi-achiever with great admiration and waited with anticipation for his next miracle. Then there was the Jupiter exploration mission. And as George Glenn was about to take a journey into space that would take him seven years one way on a spaceship that he had designed himself, he sent a message from orbit..._

_"I will now reveal a secret I have kept from you all. I am not a human born naturally into this world. I was born after having my genes artificially operated on at the primary stages of the fertilized egg. I am now sending a manual on the specific technology to a worldwide network."_

_He said "I have a body capable of greater strengths and a brain capable of greater knowledge than a human born naturally. The person who made me like this had this to say... 'We humans have much more potential... if we can bring out the maximum possible, it will open up an infinite number of new paths to our future.' Right now, as I look at Earth from outer space, I'm reminded of a thought I had... that I am a bridge connecting our mother planet Earth and the great outer space where much is yet to be understood. I am also the one standing between the present human world and our future. I am the regulator... the coordinator meant to guide the way. It is my wish that there will be people who will continue in my footsteps." with those words, he departed into space, leaving behind on Earth the manual and well as incredible confusion, disorder, and chaos. People indeed continued in his footsteps and as more Coordinator children were born, the gap between people widened. The mothers of such children were socially condemned and segregated by other wives, the genetically modified children were far ahead in sports and in academics, they had far more knowledge than their own professors. Such blatant inequality could only be regarded as injustice by their classmates and all those born naturally. And thus, discontent grew and protest marches took place. _

_And 14 years later, that man handed the people another shock..._

_"In order to research this gift we received from outer space, we will head to space. Our research plant will bring to Earth raw materials, technologies, and many other benefits of space." This plant, Aprilius one,_ _originally formed to deal with the UN directorate of PLANT-sponsored nations, has become the PLANT capital, home of the Supreme Council, and the location of Evidence 01. _

_"We have very little time, what good will it do to extend the war for no purpose?" Siegel Clyne had questioned many years later before that very 'gift from outer space'._

_"That's exactly why we cannot forgive them those who get in our way..." Patrick Zala had replied. However, in this world full of differences among nations, languages, values, origins, and beliefs... what new differences did George Glenn throw in the equation? He might have eventually realized but at this point, it was too late. _

_And then George Glenn was assassinated. Hatred spread, terrorist attacks multiplied, Coordinators were ganged up upon and beaten, their homes and cars bombed, they were shot, they were stabbed... for the sake of a 'blue and pure world'. Even though all they had ever wanted was to live in peace and put their abilities to use for the betterment of mankind. At first they didn't understand why they were hated so. Women fled with babies in their arms. And my own mother was killed. Even now I still remember the killer's expression. Because the very existence of a Coordinator was not natural, it should not exist, and if it went against nature, such abomination should naturally be exterminated. Then all wrongs would be righted. Such expression was so similar to the one Flay had had when she had yelled at Lacus..._

_"Hey! I don't want it, stop it! Don't mess with me! Why do I have to shake the hand of someone like you?! Don't act like we're friends even though you're a Coordinator!" _

_The roots to being human... even if that much is understood, for some reason the human mind will not change. Those who have fail to understand the feelings of those who don't have. And those who don't have envy those who do. _

_"To live in peace, happiness, and serenity. That is all we wished for. But who ruthlessly shattered that wish? Who deprived us of our freedom and continued to use us Coordinators for their own convenience and greed?" Patrick Zala_ _had declared during that session of the Supreme Council._

_Those who are different, those who differ from one's self..._ _yet, those one can supposedly love..._ The girl looked back upon all her repeated meetings and reunions, those soft smiles and tender eyes from Copernicus City, the different emotions those same eyes reflected amidst the flames in Heliopolis, the hate and love carried in the words from those same lips... _However, the gunshot fired at one another delivers no such feelings._ And yet they had still shot at each other despite feeling so much so for each other, despite knowing that a gunshot may only bring death and suffering. And every time, they clashed, and with the repeated meetings and reunions, followed the repeated partings and separations and the endless tears. What did they truly want? What and how much would they have to lose in order to obtain it? Was it even possible?

_"What is it that one must fight against? Wars are very difficult."_ Lacus had pondered with a smile.

_That's what makes it so interesting._ Le Creuset was called by a soldier who wanted to know whether he should forward the message from Chairman Zala of the National Defense Committee. The Commander answered by the affirmative.

_That's what makes it so tragic._... Seren then heard her comrades' voices calling her... Miriallia, Tolle, Sai, Murrue Ramius, Mu La Flaga...

* * *

Kira and Seren slid the blinds, but forget trying to get up, it took all of their strength just to roll slightly on their side. Milly and Flay put them back properly and checked their intravenous drips. The two pilots were completely soaked in sweat, their very high fever wouldn't go down, they kept wavering in and out of consciousness, the doctor had gone somewhere and the two temporary and greatly distressed nurses had no idea what to do to help their friends get better.

It was their comrades's voices that had awaken the two pilots who had momentarily passed out from the scorching, sweltering heat in the cockpits... and from emotional exhaustion. The interior of the Blast and Strike had been bathed in the red of the multiple warning lights. The loud wailing of the alert had also been sounding. They had turned their machines downward and protected themselves with their shields.

"This is Alaska." Mu put his finger where the ship should have landed if all had been well. "And this is out current location." He trailed his index on the map and stopped on Lybia, practically on the other side of the world. But that was not the only or the main problem... "We couldn't have picked a worse place... We're right within ZAFT-controlled territory."

"We had no choice. We couldn't afford to get separated from the Strike and the Blast." The captain justified herself. But still, her soft voice was tinted with a faint note of guilt. She was fully aware of her responsibility, and the dire situation in which everyone was because of her choice. La Flaga worriedly gazed at her.

On the monitor of the bridge, the crew saw the two units join and put their shield together, with the more resistant Svalinn shield slightly ahead. Were they planning to descend on their own?! Romero Pal calculated and announced the grave results: the entry angle of the Strike and Blast differed from that of the ship! At this rate they would land in a completely different location! Milly yelled in the microphone of her earpice, begging her friends to return. But Natarle knew it was impossible. At this point, the Gs' thrusters weren't strong enough, it had already taken all the Blast had just to cover that small distance to the Strike! It was then Murrue had ordered to get the ship closer to them. It was still possible with the Archangel's engines. The pilot had argued that the ship would miss its descent point if they did that. She had retorted that getting there would be pointless if they lost the Strike and the Blast. They had obeyed. The Archangel had used its powerful thrusters to move below the gundams, allowing them to land safely on its deck, one knee down. But then, the heat had become too unbearable, and the two Coordinators had fainted again.

"In any case, our ship's objectives and destination remain the same." The captain pensively twisted one of her brown locks around her finger. Mu asked whether everything was alright. "Yes."

"With miss vice-captain too?" He insisted. He knew that both were strong-willed and excellent women and that their opinions often diverged. But even though there had been a number of issues between the two until now, this time their disagreement had been particularly intense... and in spite of her strength, Murrue was also very sensitive and he was always concerned about her. She looked surprised for a moment before smiling reassuringly.

"Yes, everything's alright."

"Then that's good." The man sipped his coffee and stood up. He was going to check on the kids and then get some sleep. And she should get some too. After all it wouldn't do to have the ship's captain be a mess.

Milly was wiping Seren's face with a handkerchief and Flay was doing the same to Kira. Even though they were suffering so much, wiping their sweat was all they could do, occasionnally glancing at the doctor being interrogated by Sai, Tolle and Kuzzey.

"So as I say, their fever isn't infectious, and their internal organs are fine. Right now, there's not much else to do other than give them lots of liquids and try to lower their body temperature..." The doctor replied.

"But..."

"Well this is my first time treating Coordinators. I can't say that I can diagnose their symptoms with great confidence but I do know that their physical abilities are far greater than ours so I wouldn't worry too much." He smiled. His dismissive attitude appalled the youngsters. So he decided to explain more in depth. "They may look the same as the rest of us but inside their bodies function completely differently. A body that possesses greater strengths, and a brain capable of more knowledge... and so on... they won't develop any fatal decease, and they have a strong immune system too. Sure, if they get shot, they'll die, and they may at times be confined to bed with a fever... but the risk of that happening to them is far less than to any of us. Did you hear how high the temperature got to in their cockpits?"

"No."

"Had it been any of us, we would not have survived. So don't fret over such a fever..." The physician wanted to sound reassuring but the teens were not convinced, especially with that indifferent tone he was using... Kira and Seren might be Coordinators but they were not some aliens or cyborgs! It was then La Flaga entered, noticed the tense atmosphere and asked if something was wrong. The doctor stood up and repeated what he had told them... in a much more polite, professional, and sympathetic way...

""Function very differently..." huh?" Sai pondered.

Athrun was in the lounge, looking over at the hangar, deep in thought. However, his thoughts were not turned towards Yzak and Dearka, his comrades fallen onto Earth, as one would expect. They were turned towards Kira and Seren, how they had come to meet again, their reunions, and separations...

His friends Rusty and Luke with whom he had graduated along with Nicol, Yzak and Dearka, the ones acting as a buffer between the 'soft' group comprised of himself and Nicol and the 'hard' group of Yzak and Dearka, the 'glue' keeping the team together, the ones who should be piloting the Strike and the Blast... and who had been killed so close to the goal by the Earth Forces during that attack on Heliopolis. Then he had shot that female OMNI officer. This boy and this girl in civilian clothes had come down to help her. Even though they were civilians, as they were helping the enemy, he had been prepared to finish them all off with his combat knife... He was really going to! But against all expectations, the girl had sprang forth to defend against him even though she should have known she stood no chance against him... but then she had recognized him and he had recognized her... that was... Seren?! And behind her was Kira?! How could he believe it? How could such a thing be possible?!

And the following fight only confirmed his fears. Their swords clashed, their wills clashed, their hearts clashed... but even so, they could not connect.

Later, Seren caused the death of both Matthew and Aurol and Kira killed Miguel. Miguel, Aurol and Matthew were senpais he had esteemed and appreciated.

After Seren, he had tried to convince and get Kira. Kira was his precious friend. And if he succeeded, Seren would naturally return to them, since she had always indulged Kira. Although he was somewhat secretly disinclined to this method as for some unknown reason he felt like it was rubbing salt on one of his own wounds. But he was also unable to get to Kira anyway. Both were talking about their friends, both were claiming that they weren't part of the Earth Alliance, and yet they piloted Earth Alliance mobile suits and protected an Earth Alliance warship.

Even though they clearly didn't want to fight each other, why did they have to? Even though they were supposed to understand each other, why couldn't they achieve harmony? And then, even though they could connect thanks to Lacus, even though their feelings had reached, they had severed this thread. Even though they were so desperate, so close that it seemed like they only needed to reach out their hands, why were they always unable to grasp what they truly wanted? Both sides had people waiting for them, relying on them, and that they could not betray... even if for them they would have to shoot one of their most important someone...

Nicol came in, interrupting his thoughts. He had come to tell that they had been notified just a moment ago that Yzak and Dearka had safely landed on Earth. But no return date had been determined and they would be remaining at the Gibraltar base for a while. Athrun acknowledged the information... and asked about Yzak's injury.

"Ah, that's... but I wouldn't worry. Even last time, he was able to battle at that level." The youngest red coat reassured him.

"Huh? Oh, yes, that's right." Athrun smiled after a time, as though he had been snapped back to reality.

"But will things be okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"In the end, we failed our mission to capture or destroy those final machines, the Strike and the Blast, and that new model battleship. The commander's been ordered back because of this, right?"

"It's the ship that even commander Le Creuset couldn't take down." The green-eyed boy smiled again. "The committee will look at it from that perspective too." His already faint and fake smile faded into a pensively sad expression. The reason why even commander Le Creuset couldn't take down that ship... Kira, and Seren... Nicol uttered his name worriedly. "Ah... it's nothing. In any case, there's no reason to worry. Besides, I understand that the return involves some upcoming plan." Thanks to him, it was Amalfi's turn to be reassured. Relieved, Nicol left to go check the Blitz, but as he closed the door, he saw Athrun still staring off into space with a wistful expression.

Kira opened his eyes to see Torii twittering worriedly next to his head. The shutter opened and Flay's attractive, kind and caring face appeared. He tried to sit up and winced.

"You must not get up so suddenly." She helped him back down and sat on the stool next to the bed. The voiced had awakened Seren on the opposite bed but she made no sign of it and simply listened. Kira asked where he was. "The ship's medical room. I heard that you were unconcious when you landed on the ship so I guess you don't remember."

"Then... this is..."

"Earth. A desert. We landed last night."

"I looked through the manual last night. This craft looks like it'll be fun. Sure it's good that the Striker packs and the Blast packs can be attached to them... but does that make me a courrier service?" La Flaga complained while looking at the skygraspers.

"With your abilities, Lieutenant, oh, sorry, Lieutenant Commander, you'll be able to deliver it anywhere and everywhere, right?" Murdoch laughed. La Flaga was grateful to Rear Admiral Halberton for this promotion but little good did it do in this situation. He was glad about the pay raise too but just when would he get to spend it?! Ramius too had become a Lieutenant Commander, and Badgiruel a Lieutenant Junior Grade. The kid and the missie had been promoted to Ensign. Well, they were pilots after all. The rest of the Heliopolis students had been made crewmen second class. The chief mechanic laughed again. They would develop into great soldiers before they knew it. He then inquired about the two kids' fever.

"I hear it went down this morning. I don't know if it's the Strike and the Blast that are impressive or if it's their bodies..." The commissioned officer pondered. "Which reminds me, why do the kids sometimes call those things 'gundam'?"

"Oh, it appears on the activation screen... General Unilateral Neuro-link... and so on. Take the first letter of each word and that's what you get. The military uses only the very first letter 'G' to refer to them."

"Eh? Kira and Seren woke up?" Milly exclaimed joyously. She, Sai, Tolle and Kuzzey were eating their lunch in the cafeteria. Sai said that since they seemed alright now, they had returned to their room, although for now they were in the same room to make it easier for Flay to watch over them. She had also brought them their meals. It was then Flay entered, carrying three trays. They asked her about Kira and Seren.

"They seem to be alright now. They're eating properly too." She smiled nicely. "It's as if last night never happened. But the doctor advised them to stay in bed today. Their bodies are really made differently after all." Her friends all stiffened at that last remark. It sounded different, cold, alienating. But they chose to ignore it. They felt like they had heard something they shouldn't have.

"I see. But I'm so glad they feel better!" Miriallia commented cheerfully, trying to dissipate the nervousness that had settled around the table. Sai suggested that Flay took a rest too. She must be tired after staying at their side all night.

"I'm alright." Flay snapped back. "I've already eaten too, together with Kira and Seren. And it's not like I have a job on the ship yet like all of you." She put the trays at the appropriate place and was now filling three glasses of water. "I must have them get better as soon as possible." She smiled. At this, Sai frowned slightly. Since Flay was his fiancée, he was more attentive to her than the others were. And that tone just now... he could somehow understand the anticipation but why did it have such a sinister shade? Like something cold, calculating... something that nurtured the dread that was already in his heart... "I'm still worried about them so I'm going back." Carrying the tray with the three glasses of water, the red head started leaving when Sai stopped her, a hand on her shoulder.

"Flay! But you know..."

"What?!" She snarled back, glaring at him. The boy recoiled, shocked, hurt, as if he had been burned. Such aggressiveness when he was just worried about her and their future together...

"Well... nothing really... but..."

"Sai... It was papa who decided our arrangement. But that papa is no longer here." Flay began softly and sadly, her eyes down. Sai and the others gasped, fearing the meaning implied behind that statement. "It was nothing more than a verbal agreement. And our situation has changed since then. So I don't see why we should have to be tied down by that any longer." Flay smiled at him condescendingly. It was like hearing 'Sorry but since you can't give me what I want I don't need you anymore... unlike Seren... and unlike Kira. So don't get in my way, okay?'. The girl walked away without a single back look. Sai extended his arm but couldn't reach her. His words, his hand, his feelings... no longer reached her. And he was left there, distraught, under his friends' surprised and worried gaze.

As she walked in the hallway, there was only one thing in Flay's mind... the image of her papa's ship exploding deeply carved into her soul. And the reason why it came to be...: Kira and Seren. She remembered Sai saying the pilot of the enemy mobile suit Aegis was a close friend of theirs.

_No! I won my bet! _Even though they hated fighting, and suffered each time they did, even though they could have escaped back then, they had chosen to stay and fight! Even if it meant fighting against that friend! _Kira, Seren, you're to fight and fight and fight until the day you die! Otherwise I won't forgive you! _They had let her father die, they plunged her into depths of pain and loneliness, they gave her despair... how could she allow them solace?!

Night had fallen on the desert. In the ZAFT land battleship Lesseps a man was leisurely taking a sip from a cup. He appeared to be in his early thirties, with dark brown hair, sideburns, and tanned skin. He wore the ZAFT yellow uniform. On the table next to him was what looked like a mix between a coffee maker and a sort of chemistry apparatus, plus a number of hermetic pots, bags, as well as a test tube rack with a few tubes. With his permission, his subordinate entered. He saluted and gave him data. The commander put down his cup of coffee and looked through it.

"Oh, looks like we have quite the sudden and unexpected guests... So that's the ship Le Creuset let get away. I think we're gonna have some fun for a change, DaCosta-kun."

The next evening Ramius and La Flaga were typing on keyboard, the former Heliopolis students were taking their shift, or being scolded for being late... Kira and Seren were taking a shower while mechanics entered the cockpits of their gundams... and found something. And they were surprised to have the the exact same thing in both cockpits.

Seren was walking in the hallways, her hair still slightly wet. She was returning to her own room from the showers when she was hailed by Flay who had something to give her. A crewman from the maintenance staff had asked her to. Since it had been in the Blast's cockpit, it must have been Seren's. The Blast's pilot's eyes widened when she saw the small origami flower. With trembling hands, doing her best to keep her face composed but to little avail, Seren took the flower.

"Th-thank you... ah... that's right..." Then she remembered Kira had received one too, and she lost more of her composure. She grabbed Flay's arm, shocking her and making her recoil. "Kira... Kira received one too... ha-have you already given him his?"

"Yes... I did." Flay lied. She did not know why but when she had seen Seren – that Seren – showing such intense distress, and to her of all people, when she had heard her quivering voice... she just did it.

"I must go to him!" Seren was going to dart away but Flay stopped her.

"Wait! I don't think you should go. He's resting now."

"Yes... yes... of course, since he must have cried himself to sleep, it's no wonder... we should let him rest... yes... lately things have been really hard on him... huh? What? For some reason I'm crying too..." She tried to wipe her eyes that wouldn't stop tearing. "Sorry, see you later!" The golden-eyed girl ran away but suddenly stopped.

Heliopolis, Artemis, the advance party led by the Montgomery and Flay's father, The Rear Admiral Halberton in the Menelaos, all the ships in the 8th Fleet, the crewmen in each of these ships, that shuttle, Elle, and all those refugees...

_"Thank you for protecting us."_

_Elle... No! That's wrong! They all exploded, they all shattered and went up in flames, they all died! I... I... _

"Flay... you've always disliked us Coordinators. Because our genes were altered, we have superior intelligence and physical abilities... but that's wrong after all..." Seren turned, her hair blowing because of her sudden movement. She was holding the flower to her heart. Her tears were flowing freely. "We're just weak little humans who can't save anyone... I'm sorry!" The enhanced human ran to her room, so shaken up that she actually believed Flay, shutting that nagging feeling that something was wrong, like swatting a mosquito in her sleep, thinking it was a fly, unaware that she had already been stung. She closed the door and collapsed, her back against it. Her face buried in her knees, she wept alone in the dark, softly, silently, violently.

Flay had not moved from her spot, shocked by the sheer agony on Seren's expression. She felt her resolution waver. But then she remembered her own reaction at her father's death and how he had come to die. The Coordinators who killed him, the Coordinators who didn't save him... it was all their fault... And recalling Seren's tears of pain and guilt, a sadistic smile appeared on her lips as she walked towards Kira's room. Even if there were times when she was to be touched Kira's and Seren's pain, kindness, "humaneness"... in the end, they were just Coordinators. They shouldn't even exist. Without them, the situation would have never become like this. So all of them should just suffer as much as they made Naturals suffer and die.

Kira was playing with Torii when Flay entered his room. The girl repeated the same things she had told Seren. The maintenance staff had asked her to give something back to him. Something that must have been his since it had been in the Strike's cockpit. She handed the paper flower. Kira's eyes widened just like Seren's did and the same anguished expression was carved onto his features.

_"Thank you for protecting us."_

And still he couldn't do anything. Even though he should have protected that child... He had only been able to watch helplessly as the shuttle shot by the Duel exploded before his eyes. Flay uttered his name, snapping him back to reality. He stood up, approached, stammered a thank you and took the origami flower with trembling hands. He turned around so she wouldn't see him in this state.

"Kira? What's wrong?" She asked worriedly as from his side she put a comforting hand on his shoulder and another on his chest. He averted his face twisted by grief and started sobbing uncontrollably.

"That child... I couldn't... save her..." He sank on his knees, curled in a ball, his chest and throat so tight he could barely breathe.

"Kira?!" Flay knelt before him.

"I..." But even speaking was too difficult. And seeing him so miserably wretched a sweet and satisfied smile curved the young woman's lips. She placed a hand on his cheek and another on the back of his head.

"Kira, I'm here." She nuzzled the top of his head and caressed his cheek. "It's alright. I'm here for you." She repeated softly and tenderly. She withdrew slightly and he raised his eyes full of tears and despair towards her beautiful and gently smiling face. His hands on her shoulders, he held onto her as the man in hell clings onto the spider's thread dangling from the heaven, like a single ray of light in the darkness. But Kira had no idea that what awaited him here was not the Buddha but a real spider. "It's alright. My thoughts will protect you." Flay whispered more words of comfort. She cupped his face, and kissed him. After a few seconds, the boy closed his eyes and kissed her back, abandonning himself in her warm embrace.

"I've only seen a drawing of it but I'd say there's no mistake. That is the new ship built at Heliopolis... the new model mobile assault ship Archangel." A blonde girl with hazel eyes lowered her night vision binoculars. It was the same girl that Kira and Seren had forced into a shelter back in Heliopolis. Only this time, she was dressed in olive drab army cargo pants and boots and wore a bulletproof jacket over her red t-shirt and gun holsters on her hips. She was accompanied by a dozen men. They all had a brown hooded cape. The two at her sides were aged between thirty and fifty and had more presence than the others. They obviously held a certain rank.

"What is it?" A teenage boy asked another man. They had both stayed near the jeeps and had just received a communication.

"The Tiger has left the Lesseps. He's heading towards that ship with five BuCUEs!"

* * *

How much weight does a decision carry? We thought we had changed. We thought we had surpassed ourselves, that we wouldn't lose anything anymore. But when we opened our eyes, the things we had lost had numbered like stars. We were still our weak, naïve selves. And we were crushed by that realisation and the price we paid for it.

* * *

**Author's note: First, I wish to thank my reviewers. Now, as I only understand English and French, please preferably use one of these two languages for your comments. Or maybe one of the European languages I can pass through google translate. If I can't understand what is said, I can't approve (at least the guest reviews). I'm not that multilingual. If you don't see you review, please rewrite it so I can understand. Thank you for your comprehension.  
**

**Now, to Asucaga: sorry, but I don't intend to do an OCxOC story. For the love interest I'm purposely being (relatively) vague to let the readers guess by themselves so I can't tell you outright who it'll be. However, if you read the other reviews, you'll know where to look for the hints. **

**And to Tokyocatgirl101: honestly, I dislike Flay, and my opinion of her only changes towards the end. But just like you, I think she's too important for Kira's development to just skip her. **


	15. Burning sands

**Phase-15: Burning sands**

"How is the so-called big angel doing?" The commander asked his subordinate who was watching the Earth Alliance's new model battleship through his night vision binoculars. DaCosta reported the absence of activity. "On Earth's surface, anything to do with electric waves is affected by the N-jammers... so that's why she remains asleep." The Tiger pondered while sipping his coffee. He suddenly realized something. Noticing the change in his superior's expression, DaCosta quickly reported his attention to the Archangel. What was it?! "No, this time I blended it with five percent less of mocca matari. This is great!" The man turned heels with a proud and satisfied smile. His aide followed him. They slid down the dune. There were not only BuCUEs but also combat helicopters and other war vehicules. He tossed his empty mug back at his assistant who caught it. His soldiers assembled before him.

"We will now commence our operation against Earth Forces' new battleship, the Archangel. Our objective is to evaluate the battle strength of the enemy ship and its mobile suits." He addressed his troops.

"Are we not to destroy it?" A pilot questioned, sounding quite confident in his own and allied forces. His pairs chuckled, clearly of the same opinion.

"Hmmm... we'll see when we get to it. But this is something Le Creuset Team failed to finish off and Halberton's 8th Fleet sacrificed themselves to allow it down to Earth. Don't forget it. Just so you're aware. Well then, I pray for your safety and success!" The commander concluded. Everyone saluted and went to their positions. The two officers climbed onto the jeep. "When the coffee's great, everything feels great. Okay! Let's go and fight a war!"

Murdoch and La Flaga were fine-tuning a skygrasper when the chief mechanic suggested calling it a day off since they couldn't get a feel for the remaining adjustements until the Lieutenant Commander actually flew it. Mu yawned, stretched and agreed. Kira and Seren had gotten better too so they'd probably get going the next day.

Tolle yawned too, still half asleep, and groggily put the other sleeve of his jacket. His girlfriend (going out of the same room) adjusted her own collar before fixing his appearance.

"Geez, can't you wear it properly? If you arrive on the bridge looking like that, you'll be yelled at by Lieutenant Badgiruel." She sighed. Natarle Badgiruel had always been very strict concerning regulations and Tolle... not that much. It was then they saw Sai leaning into Flay's room. The shutter of her bed was closed.

"Flay? I'm sorry to bother you late. But I couldn't find the time until now to properly talk with you. It's about what you said earlier... Hey, could you please get up so we can talk?" He pleaded, sounding very tense, sad, fearful, with an edge of desperation. He did not notice Milly and Tolle walking away with pity in their eyes.

"What a surprise to hear they were engaged..." Tolle whispered in his girlfriend's ear.

"Not engaged!" She retorted. "It was only a verbal agreement." She defended Flay.

"Where's the difference?" The boy argued. Milly could not reply to this.

"Flay... was acting awfully weird. Before, it wasn't to extent of hating Kira and Seren... but..."

"She hates Coordinators, right? Flay was one year behind us, but she was involved in the same extracurricular activities as you so we did bump into each other from time to time. Kira used to mention how cute she was. And Seren... well..."

"She didn't care... and so she didn't make any effort and always ignored her or sounded cold, blunt, or condescending as with all those she didn't like or didn't care about." The girl finished his phrase.

"But I don't think she's that random in her likes and dislikes, we just can't explain them. Even she can't."

"I understand that she's open with her feelings and I really like that about her but sometimes she's too open and too stubborn."

"You know that when people try to force her into anything she retreats into her shell and won't budge. If we tried something she would treat us coldly too, even if it's us. But that's not what I'm really worried about."

"Yeah, I know. Those she disliked, and those she didn't care about... even when everybody else liked those people and didn't see a reason to her off-putting behavior... in the end, no matter how long it took, something always happened that proved her right to some extent. It's so frustrating."

"And though there was aknowledgement, there was also distance due to that uncanny ability. You know, aside from us, I never saw her get really close to anyone." Tolle pondered. He crossed his arms behind his head and sighed. "I really hope she's going to be wrong this time and things won't turn ugly." He voiced his opinion. Milly agreed.

The captain was lying on her bed, all lights out, and wistfully staring at her open locket shaped like a coffin with the initials R.I.P. The photograph inside was the mobile armor pilot she had expected to spend her life with... until he was killed. The sadness in her brown eyes intensified. She closed them, she closed her locket and turned the other way and curled up into a foetal position.

On the bridge, Chandra was teaching Kuzzey how to operate the ship in their current situation: keeping the ship cool by using the black hole ventilation system, thus avoiding detection by infrared ray satellite scans. As long as they managed that, they'd certainly pull it off. Well, the radars on both sides were unreliable. Tolle and Milly arrived for their shift. Neumann scolded them for being late. The girl apologised and the ship's pilot sighed. It was not the first time and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Kuzzey stared at the neutron-jammers distribution map where many, many, many dots were flickering all over the world. Obviously troubled, he wondered whether they couldn't just be removed.

"Impossible! They're shot in deep below the Earth's surface. We don't even know how many there are! If it were possible, someone would have done it already. Radio waves and fission-based evergy are adversely affected... but isn't it a lot better than having nuclear missiles flying all over the place? If they had retaliated after the nuclear attack on Junius 7 in kind, there would be no Earth right now!" He told the former civilian teen. It was then Badgiruel came in, asking if there had been anything unusual. Her tone made him straighten up in a stiff salute. "Ma'am! Nothing out of the ordinary!" Chandra answered and returned to his post. Although the Lieutenant's tone had been nothing out of ordinary either, she just naturally sounded stringent and strong, thus tending to scare people. She gave Neumann a gourd.

"Do we have the data of the hull's distortion?"

"Yes, thank you." He took the bottle and drank a little. "Based on simplified measurements, the stress-strain has stopped within the permissible range. The details-" He put the gourd away and let go, expecting to float, but it just fell down, surprising him.

"Ensign, please remember that we are no longer in a weightless state or it could cause problems." She went to the other side, picked the bottle and gave it back. He apologised. "There are irregularities in the gravitational field. Perhaps an effect of the underground caves..." Natarle pondered while looking closer at the data. Tolle asked what they were talking about.

"Although based on pre-war data and we don't know the accurate locations, we know that this area is full of abandonned oil, natural gas, and mineral deposit mines. Carelessly landing on the wrong spot could be disastrous." The pilot explained.

"Is the spot we're on okay?" The boy questioned fearfully.

"It is, right?" Neumann looked at his superior with a small meaningful smile. Natarle said nothing, straightened herself and drank from her gourd. The alarm sounded. They turned around, Kuzzey was slightly panicky.

"Laser detected, aimed at this ship!" Chandra reported. "Matching... confirmed! It's a target designator!" Following this, the alert rang across the whole ship. All hands to level two battle station. Murrue jumped out of her bed and changed. Murdoch woke up. Mu put down his glass, swore, and ran out of his room.

"Sorry, Flay! We'll continue this discussion some other time!" Sai yelled. There was still no answer. He ran to the bridge.

"The enemy?!" Kira woke up with a start, sweating anxiously. He got out of bed and put on his shoes, his pants and jacket. "I'm not letting anyone die anymore." He declared with determination. "I won't allow it!" And he left. Flay slightly raised herself from the same bed and watched him with only the blanket to cover her naked form. She lied back down, turned over, and curled herself.

"Protect us. Get rid of them all." She whispered. Tears flowed down her eyes. And through the tears, a smile, then a maniacal laughter broke out.

Seren sharply raised her head. She was sitting at her desk, still fully dressed, her laptop open. She had been on it most of the time after crying and she had fallen asleep not even half an hour ago. She jumped on her feet and still clutching her flower, ran to change into her pilot suit.

Missiles exploded all around the Archangel, shaking it. Sitting on her seat, the captain demanded to be filled in the situation. The first wave consisted of six missiles. They were countering with the igelstellung. The attack came from the shadow of a dune so the exact location could not be determined. Ramius raised the alert to level one and ordered to activate the engines. Lieutenant Commander La Flaga, Ensign Yamato and Ensign Ashford were to stand by aboard their units. Badgiruel asked if La Flaga could sortie.

"Load anti-beam depth charges. Activate N-jammers." Sai reported as he checked all the ships' weapons.

"We don't need that." Kuzzey commented, referring to the already N-jammers-saturated Earth crust.

The enemy commander ordered the start of the attack. His second relayed the order to the anti-air unit. The helicopters took off. While in the Archangel, Mu was urging the mechanics to make his skygrasper able to fly. Murdoch was insisting it was impossible. They couldn't even load the ammunition in time. The CIC detected the three oncoming ZAFT combat helicopters. They fired and disappeared.

"Scatter flare shells! Intercept!" Natarle yelled.

"Where's the enemy?! The Strike is taking off!" Kira contacted Milly, his voice very and unsually brusque and forceful.

"Kira? Wait! Not yet!"

"Hurry up and open the hatch!" He demanded, having completely forgotten his status.

"I'm also ready. Please let me out too. The Blast can be equipped to fight in the atmosphere." Seren's footage also appeared. Although she didn't employ her childhood's friend's vehemence and was rather calm, her voice possessed the same firmness and determination.

"We still don't know the position or the size of the enemy! And orders haven't been given to launch!"

"That's exactly why we need to sortie. With our mobility, we can assess the present forces." Seren argued.

"What are you being so laid-back about?! Just hurry up and open the hatch! I'll go and beat them up!" The boy raged on, harsher, more impudent and peremptory than before. Milly sadly whispered his name. He had... changed. That sweet, gentle, pacifist Kira... in such a hurry to fight and kill people... And Seren too had changed. Before, she had always showed warmth, empathy, understanding... she was... like humaneness incarnated. She had excellent dispositions towards everyone, Naturals and Coodinators alike, and only adjusted her opinion in good or bad after meeting and talking to the people. But now it was like she was trying to detach herself, to kill her emotions, that aspect of her that always considered the human side, to become a cold war machine. It was like all her abilities were being forcefully deviated from their original humanitarian goal. And still, inside her too, something was seething. And Milly was scared for and of her friends. Badgiruel called the captain.

"I don't like their attitude but we've got no choice except to let them take off! Seren is right. We need their mobility. We can't make any subtle movement with just the ship's cannons. Have the Strike and the Blast launch!" Ramius instructed. Natarle ordered the mobile suits pilots to stop the enemy helicopters and warned them to be careful of gravity. The Launcher pack was added to the Strike. And the Storm Blast Away to the Blast.

As soon as the Strike launched into the air, it was forced down by the gravity. Kira activated his thrusters to balance himself. He landed on the sand, but because of weigth of his mobile suit, combined to his heavy launcher pack and the sheer movability of the footing, he was brought down to his knees. The helicopters appeared again. Kira stood up and activated his phase shift armor. The helicopters fired but the projectiles were shot down from the air by the Blast's igelstellung. The Blast landed at his side, wobbled, and steadied itself. They aimed but the enemy had hid again. But still, that sand... was troublesome.

"They came out! Those are the X105, Strike, and the X216, Blast, aren't they?" DaCosta remarked.

"Send out the BuCUES. I want to see how they react." The commander ordered, his piercing eyes narrowing down.

The Blast took to the air and went to the direction the helicopters had gone but they were no longer there. It gained altitude. Seren scrutinized the battlefield and spotted them. She dived and sent her cluster bombs that all missed and exploded into the sea of sand. And here she had expected to get them all in one attack. They separated and maneuvered, skillfully using the terrain to their advantage. She tried to shoot them down with her Siegfried cannon and 88mm beam rifle. But although she was gaining in accuracy and her shots were edging closer relatively fast each time, as long as she didn't get a real hit, she was also wasting time and energy. She had to lure them close and outwit them. The girl took altitude. Scan the area, memorize the terrain layout, keep an eye on the Strike, analyse the enemies' attack patterns, concentrate, think, think ahead...

The Strike leaped and landed on another dune that also yielded under it. From the top of the ridge surged three BuCUES, one railgun equipped and two missile launcher equipped. They passed him by and the wind made him fall on his back at the foot of the hill. He shielded himself against the fired missiles that narrowly missed him. Sai confirmed the new enemy as ZAFT forces mobile suits TMF/A-802 BuCUE. One knee down, Kira aimed his Agni cannon and shot but all beams missed due to the mobility of the feline-like units.

"I don't know how you did up in space..."

"But here on land the BuCUEs rule!" Two ZAFT pilots boasted. Their beams and missiles fell all too close to the helpless and surrounded Strike. Noticing her ally's predicament, Seren shot at the BuCUEs with her 88mm rifle and her cluster bombs. They grazed the enemy, slightly damaging them. But they also hit the Strike. Kira stumbled and cringed. Both her allies in the Archangel's CIC and the enemy commander blamed her apparently cold and uncaring behavior towards her own comrade but the ZAFT officer tampered that comment. Could it be that the Blast's pilot trusted the Strike's pilot that much and believed in his safety? Natarle also gave Seren reason. That was the best option. As it was, the Strike couldn't do anything.

However, since her attention had been diverted by the BuCUEs, the helicopters had come out and shot her. And although she dodged most missiles, some had also hit her. Also, her help had only provided Kira a temporary reprieve. The BuCUEs were using their highest mobility on this terrain to deal quick attacks and retreat before the Strike had had the time to retaliate. Kira jumped and fired but again, his beams failed to reach a target. Conversely, a missile hit his chest just as he touched ground again. The Strike recovered and rose and hovered in the air to get a better aim until he was shot down himself.

Although impressed by the quality of the mobile suit Strike and its pilot, for the Tiger, a human-type still had no chance against a BuCUE in the desert. From what he could conclude from the reports, the problem was the Blast, or rather, the one inside. She seemed to be evolving alarmingly fast, as if each battle caused a growth spurt. He might still be unable to explain how exactly, but she was dangerous. She certainly wasn't going to take this situation lying down...

The Blast landed and staggered. The helicopters surrounded it and fired. Ramius asked for news about La Flaga's skygrasper. Couldn't it take off yet?! If the situation went on like this... But Yamato was not one to keep enduring without retaliating. Now even less than before. He typed furiously on his keyboard. Estimate the pressure reduction, set the granular factor at minus 20 for the friction coefficient, and all other adjustements. The yellow uniform immediately noticed the change in the Strike's overall stability. A BuCUE got too close and was kneed away. Another attacked from behind but Kira used his cannon like a shield to shove it away too. It fell on its back.

"Take this!" The boy shot at point blank range. The ZAFT machine exploded. The wind reached the enemy commander and his second.

"Has he adapted the motion program to cope with the desert's surface so quickly? Is that pilot really a Natural?" He pondered. His observations clearly did not correspond to what he had been told. It was impossible for a Natural to be this capable. It was even rare for Coordinators!

A helicopter exploded, having been shot by the Blast's Siegfried beam cannon. The Blast escaped through the opening and flew away at high speed. The two other helicopters went after the fleeing unit. Their enraged pilots, determined to avenge their comrade, fired but couldn't get a hit. The three machines slalomed between the dunes. The human-type mobile suit entered a narrower passage. Blinded by anger, the enemy followed, failing to notice how little room there was for them to maneuver, and suddenly, Seren turned around and shot with her rifle and her cannon, piercing them both in the same time. They exploded. As if carved in stone or ice, her face did not show the slightest emotion. Only her golden eyes were seething with a cold, bone-chilling fire. She landed, and the Blast wobbled again. She rapidly typed on her keyboard to adjust the same parameters as Kira had done just a little earlier. Then she took flight, returned to her childhood friend and landed her back to him.

The ZAFT commander instantly remarked the change in the Blast, the same as the Strike. He received a communication informing him of what it had done to the helicopters. Kira was breathing hard from the strain. He looked around. This anger, this tension... more than a burning zeal, it was like a fever had gripped him.

"I won't let you destroy the Archangel!" He and Seren said in the same time, tightening their grasp on the joystick. The enemy officer instructed to send a message to the Lesseps to 'attack the enemy ship with its main cannon'. A BuCUE launched missiles at the Strike that shot them down with its Vulcan gun. The Lesseps fired. La Flaga's skygrasper took off. Chandra detected an attack from the southwest. Ramius ordered immediate evasion. One shell hit the ship, shaking it. The others exploded around it. Sai calculated the projected source to be 20 km southwest. Tonomura reminded the vice-captain that the ship was not equipped to counter to sort of attack.

"I'll go mark the enemy with my laser designator. You can then fire the missiles at that target!" The mobile armor pilot suggested.

"We don't have time to be searching for the enemy!" Natarle argued.

"We don't know that until we try! Just don't get hit before that!" And La Flaga took off. The ZAFT yellow uniform zoomed with his binoculars. That machine hadn't been mentioned in the report. In the Archangel's CIC, Chandra informed the bridge of the approaching second wave.

"Evade! All units prepare for impact!" The captain yelled.

"It's gonna be a direct hit!"

And seeing the oncoming wave that menaced to destroy the Archangel something snapped within Kira and Seren, like the seed of possibilities, as if their limiter had been released. Their expressions changed. They fired their Vulcan guns at the sand, blinding the enemies. He leapt and punched a BuCUE that had attacked him from behind. It collided with a missile and exploded. As if in slow motion, the two Earth Alliance pilots saw all the other projectiles heading towards the Archangel. They fired their beam cannons, destroying all remaining missiles, shocking both allies and enemies.

"It'll be alright." Flay chuckled. She was sprawled on Kira's bed, half dressed. "They will protect us." She recalled her passionate night with him. "Because that boy will protect me, and that girl will protect him." Because during that night she had tied him to her more surely than the thickest ropes or chains ever could. She had grasped his weakness, his heart, his body... so he would be more than willing to tend to his every wish... so he would kill for her.

"Kira, take care of the BuCUEs, there's something I've got to do." Seren ordered as she took flight and soared high into to the sky, too high for the enemy mobile suits to reach her by leaping. She expanded her search area. She had noticed the strangeness of this assault. Those missiles aimed at the Archangel could have only been fired by another battleship. If the enemy could do that, why not begin with it? First the helicopters, then the mobile suits and then the battleship... the attacks were clearly on an ascending scale! They were being tested! But a test could only serve if you could observe the results from somewhere close and give the appropriate orders depending on how the situation evolved...

Kira shot with his Vulcan gun and igelstellung as a BuCUE leapt over him. It skidded away. But just as the Strike's pilot was going to fire his Agni, an alarm rang. The Strike's power was dangerously low! He had used the Agni too much! The boy swore. Miriallia reported the Strike's power level to the bridge.

The enemy commander looked at his personal digital assitant that showed the Strike's picture, capacities, and weapon list. While he acknowledged it was an impressive machine, according to intelligence it should be just about to run out of power.

"Sorry, but we're gonna finish you off... for what you did to Maylam." He decided as he closed his PDA. Once the Strike was destroyed, it shouldn't be too difficult to handle the then lonely Blast. As a veteran soldier and person in charge, he was fully aware of the risks when giving orders. Sacrifices were unavoidable. And it was also his duty to ensure that these sacrifices were not made in vain. Because those people were his beloved subordinates who all had their lives, friends, families...

Shells rained around Kira who screamed and fell backwards. They were really trying to finish him off! Captain Ramius ordered to slow the Archangel's advance and protect him but Badgiruel protested. This time it was too dangerous! The Strike's PS armor would be drained! Ramius clenched her fists. Was there nothing they could do?! And just what was Seren doing?!

"Got you!" Seren exclaimed as she spotted what she had been looking for. A man standing on a dune, at a safe distance from the battlefield and watching through binoculars, with only a subordinate at his side... the enemy commander! She combined her Siegfried hyper impulse beam cannon with her 88mm beam rifle into a long range sniper rifle and aimed at the man.

"Hmm? DaCosta, get down!" The Tiger, noticing that he was being targeted, grabbed his right hand man and yanked him back. The Blast fired. They fell back on the other side and rolled down. But strangely, the beam hit the middle of the dune. The sand splashed high and fell back, burying them. But they soon surfaced again. Neither of them was really hurt. Martin thanked his superior and blessed their luck for the miss. The officer agreed absent-mindedly. Even though his instinct had told him that the pilot's skills shouldn't have allowed for a miss like that... was it really luck? A technical problem? A bad aim? Or something else like he was more enclined to believe... She had killed some of his men so it couldn't be hesitation... was she holding him hostage? Order your troops to retreat or I'll blow you? If that was the case, he was not such a greenhorn to fall for a threat like that, unfortunately... Besides, her power should be down anytime soon now. She should have finished him while she had the chance.

Indeed, the Blast suffered a shot from two BuCUEs' railguns, draining its phase-shift armor some more. Its energy level was also becoming critically low. Miriallia reported it to the bridge. Suddenly, a rocket hit one of the ZAFT mobile suits. Military jeeps with missile launchers mounted on their backs were speeding towards them. They fired. And on one of them was the blonde girl from before. The Blast flew back down. The vehicle stopped at the Strike's level and she fired a cable that stuck to the arm of the mobile suit. Kira heard her voice.

"Attention, pilot of the mobile suit! Listen to me! If you don't want to die do exactly as I say! There is a trap set at the indicated location. Lure the BuCUEs there! Relay everything to your pal!" A map of the area appeared on the Strike's monitor with a blinking red dot showing the exact emplacement of the trap. The crew on the bridge who had also heard the communication was confused. Resistance?! Kira forwarded the orders and the map to Seren. The trap wouldn't work unless both mobile suits headed there. They had to gather all enemies at this one place.

"Captain, they're the guys from Desert Dawn!" DaCosta informed his superior.

"They're trying to save the Earth Forces' mobile suits?" He wondered. Those were a troublesome bunch. The jeeps veered. The Strike and the Blast followed, and the BuCUEs went after them. The Blast was apparently covering for the Strike, shooting occasional cluster bombs and a shot or two behind them.

"They're biting." The teen besides the hazel eyed, blonde haired girl remarked. He seemed slightly younger than her. And he was the one driving.

"Because the bait is irresistible." She replied, looking at the Strike and Blast with a small smile. The jeeps scattered and stopped on high ground. Kira and Seren continued to the indicated point and stopped. They hesitated for a few seconds and their decision was taken. They had no choice but to trust those people. They left the spot, their expressions back to normal. The BuCUEs landed on the site. The blonde young woman pressed a button and mines exploded around the enemy mobile suits. She pressed another and a bomb exploded and everything went up in flames, shocking the crew of the Archangel. The Strike completely ran out of power and return to its original dull gray color. Seren landed at his side. Kira panted and recovered. This battle was finished. The ZAFT commander gave the withdrawal order. They had met their objectives in this battle. In the CIC of the Archangel, Miriallia transmited Lieutenant Commander La Flaga's message: "located enemy command ship but decided against attacking. The enemy ship is the Lesseps. I repeat: the enemy ship is the Lesseps. I am on my way back. End of message."

"The Lesseps?!" Ramius repeated, incredulous. Natarle asked about this ship that evoked such a reaction in her superior. "That's Andrew Waltfeld's command ship. So our enemy is the Desert Tiger." The captain answered obviously tense.

Dawn broke at last upon this long night. The Strike, the Blast the Resistance and the Archangel were watching the enemy retreat. The flaxen blonde climbed down her vehicle and walked forth and her strong and straightforward eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the two EA mobile suits.

* * *

We can't stay as we are. With that certitude etched into our chests, we head again into battle. Because someone said we could no longer hesitate. Our confusion, grief, and weaknesses, having thrown them all away, we finally understood that. But then, what are we becoming so desperate to leave behind?

* * *

**Author's note: Just in case they were missed, I'm repeating those messages: **

**to Asucaga: sorry, but I don't intend to do an OCxOC story. For the love interest I'm purposely being (relatively) vague to let the readers guess by themselves so I can't tell you outright who it'll be. However, if you read the other reviews, you'll know where to look for the hints. **

**And to Tokyocatgirl101: honestly, I dislike Flay, and my opinion of her only changes towards the end. But just like you, I think she's too important for Kira's development to just skip her.**

**Well, this chapter was mostly battles but things should become more interesting from now on :3**


	16. Desert Dawn

**Phase-16: Desert Dawn**

A number of jeeps stopped close to the Archangel and its mobile suits. The ones inside left their vehicles and waited with firm expressions. But a few cars had remained hidden among the sandy ridges to observe and intervene if necessary. While not really hostile, the atmosphere was nonetheless quite tense. Kira and Seren zoomed on a person... the only girl, and the only person with such blonde hair among the men of the Resistance. And she had such a fierce expression too, even more than those men. The boy tilted his head quizzically. Obviously, he had not recognized her... unlike his childhood friend who had immediately recalled the girl they had saved and forced into a shelter back in Heliopolis. She had sometimes wondered what had happened to her but to think they'd reunite in this manner... Just who was she? And what was she doing here?

La Flaga had also returned and seemed troubled, but not as much as the captain and her vice-captain who asked her whether she would consider those people as allies.

"They're not pointing any gun at us. Let's at least go and talk to them. It seems that is exactly what they want. If we're fortunate, this could go well for us. I'm leaving the rest to you." Ramius stood up and left Badgiruel in charge of the bridge. The door of the elevator closed on the apprehensive looks of the crew members. A heavy sigh escaped her lips. The two Lieutenant Commanders took and charged guns. There were also a few guards with automatic firearms.

"Man, oh man, it seems like our new guests are quite peculiar too. I'm not too good with these situations." Mu admitted with a strained smile. As usual he had tried to speak playfully. This side of him always helped ease the captain's tension. She lightly chuckled. Of course, he was not an idiot (although he loved acting like one) and had ample understanding of 'diplomacy'. However, he was far more comfortable when the situation was clear-cut, like shooting down people who attacked.

A door at the foot of the Archangel opened like a maw. A small flight of stairs was incorporated in the lower part. Inside, another door slid open. But only the two officers went to meet the Resistance...

"I guess it would be proper to thank you for helping us. I am Murrue Ramius of the Earth Forces' 8th Fleet." The woman introduced herself.

"Huh? Wasn't the 8th Fleet completely annihilated?" The youngest of the troop taunted. Murrue glared at him. The leader raised his arm warningly before the youth so he wouldn't spout any more rude or hurtful remarks. They were here to talk, not pick a fight.

"We're the Desert Dawn. My name is Sahib Ashman. You don't need to thank us. I'm sure you know. We weren't really fighting to save you. We only attack our own enemy." The leader clarified. He looked somewhere in his fifties with a rather stocky and muscular built and a thick beard that partially hid a scar on his left cheek.

"Have you constantly fought the Desert Tiger like this?" Mu inquired.

"I think I've seen your face somewhere before." Sahib wondered.

"I'm Mu La Flaga. I don't know anyone from the area though." The blonde man introduced himself with a slight hint of sarcasm in his smile.

"I never expected to meet the Hawk of Endymion in a place like this..." The head of the Resistance trailed off, unfazed, with a similar smile. That 'greeting' surprised both officers. That man was not just some desert bumpkin. He was not to be underestimated.

"You seem to be well-informed. Do you also know about us?" The captain queried.

"The Earth Forces' new assault ship, the Archangel, right? You were chased by the Le Creuset Team and escaped here on Earth. And those are-"

"The X105 Strike and the X216 Blast, new model mobile weapons prototypes of the Earth Forces." The blonde girl answered for her comrade. Sahib stepped in front of her. Apparently, that wasn't her place or time to speak out. But that gesture had seemed strangely protective too.

"Well then, it's good we know about each other now but we were really surprised to see such a seed of disaster land here. I can only assume that you landed here by accident but I'm curious to know what you plan to do now." The chief regained control of the conversation. The two Lieuntenant Commanders glimpsed at each other and faced him again.

"Can we count on your cooperation?" Murrue asked with a sweet smile. However, her interlocutor was not fooled. He snorted.

"If you're serious about talking, then lower your guns first." He demanded. "... as well as the pilots of those things..." He stared at the Strike and the Blast. The hidden guards, Natarle, all were shocked. That man had such keen insight. With him they could not hope to keep their cards close to their chests. The captain assented and told Ensign Yamato and Ensign Ashford to come down. They obeyed. They walked closer and removed their helmets.

The members of the Resistance were stunned. Those guys were the pilots? They were still just kids! They were stunned, but nothing like the blonde girl who had instantly recognized them. Her jaw dropped and then closed again. Her teeth gritted and her hands curled tightly into fists as her expression distorted into rage. She ran to them for a closer look.

"You..." She began, still incredulous that they could be the same two youths from that time. Sahib and Murrue were also greatly surprised. How could they have expected those three to know each other?! Noticing the strained atmosphere between them, La Flaga reached to his holster. And seeing that another man stepped in front him, obviously to protect the blonde miss... a muscular man in his mid-twenties with a dark complexion, a black skin-tight sleeveless t-shirt, and black wavy hair down to his shoulders... Mu relaxed. "You... why the hell are you piloting those things?!" She tried to slap Kira but he caught her wrist. She struggled fruitlessly. And at looong last, he also recognized her.

"You're the one who were at the Morgenroete." The boy recalled.

"Took you long enough." Seren commented, lamenting on her childhood friend's slowness.

"Let go! You bastard!" The female Resistance fighter struggled more violently, so violently that the back of her fist violently collided with Kira's cheek... Seren sighed. The others stared, open-mouthed. The Strike's pilot held his sore cheek and stared, mystified, at the furious girl before him.

"Cagalli!" Sahib yelled warningly. He didn't want to risk the situation degenerating because of her impetuous temperament.

And from the 'window' in Kira's room, Flay, the sheet over her head, had watched the scene with cold, calculative, and angry eyes...

At the ZAFT controlled Gibraltar Base, Yzak and Dearka were communicating with their commander, Rau le Creuset, who was relieved to hear they had safely reached the Gibraltar base. They had done well surviving that last battle. Dearka smiled in self-derision, replying he had almost died back there. He had lost all his (over) self-assurance. Yzak's expression was impossibly grim.

"Unfortunately, we failed to destroy the Legged Ship, the Strike, and the Blast, but although it was unintentional, we may be lucky that you two landed on Earth. I imagine that the Legged Ship will be the target of the occupation forces on Earth from now on. I want you to remain at the Gibraltar Base for now and assist them in pursuing the Legged Ship. Needless to say, if you get the chance, go ahead and destroy it." Le Creuset gave his instructions and cut the communication.

"Is he telling us not to return to space?" Dearka raised a hand. "Does he want us to crawl around on the ground together with the occupation forces searching for the Legged Ship?" He spoke with the contempt and dissatisfaction of an elite being forced to do the menial work of an underling. His comrade shot him a dark look and removed the bandage covering his right eye... revealing the long scar that marred his face. "Hey! Yzak!" Helsman bolted upright. That guy was always so reckless. How did he expect to heal if he didn't follow the doctor's orders?

"If we get the chance...? I'll destroy them! The next time for sure! I'll be the one to do it!" His glare turned so fierce, his hatred so devouring, that it scared even his friend. When he was like that, there was a great chance that he would forget himself and go overboard, ignore the orders, and do stupid things again without knowing when to pull back. That was worrying.

The Archangel navigated through the fissures, barely big enough for her, and followed Sahib's lead to the headquarters of the Resistance who were quite surprised to see the guests he had brought. Cagalli was still glaring. The officers of the battleship entered the caves after them and looked around. La Flaga whistled at the impressive loot they had got from both ZAFT and the Earth Alliance. The Strike and the Blast helped tying down the ship to make sure it wouldn't move around for a reason or another and get damaged.

The brass arrived in a room with a large monitor and a number of computer and high tech stuff. In the middle was a table with a map of the area. Again, La Flaga was surprised. Sahib explained this was their frontline base. Their homes were in the surrounding towns... if they hadn't been burnt down yet: Tassil, Moula... and even Banadiya where the Tiger was headquarted. He poured himself a cup of coffee. Their group was made of volunteers from such towns. He then offered them coffee. When Murrue replied she'd gladly have some, he just told her to use any cup she wanted and left, ignoring convenances which would have demanded him to pour her a cup. Disconcerted for a second, she followed the group without coffee and thanked him for his help with the ship. Ashman glanced at Cagalli who glanced back at him. She had a notepad in hand and was helping a fellow freedom fighter compile data on a laptop. She had wanted to hear what the OMNI enforcers had to say and told him to bring them over to their camp in a slightly indirect manner. La Flaga, who had noticed the exchange, nodded towards her and asked who she was.

"Our goddess of victory."

"Wow. And what's her name?" The mobile armor pilot inquired again as he looked over at her. Before the lack of response he turned back towards the chief who was starring at him suspiciously. He shrugged innocently. "If she's your goddess of victory, it would be rude not to know." He justified himself. The reason was perfectly legitimate.

"It's Cagalli Yula." Sahib answered after a time. He could not find an excuse to hide it. Mu looked at the blonde girl again. Her presence here was strange after all. Her behavior, how the others interacted with her... She didn't seem to be just a little girl from around here who had decided to fight for her family. She seemed... somewhat like an important outsider... "So, I understand that you guys want to get to Alaska." The head of the Resistance brought the Lieuntenant Commander back to the more serious matter at hand.

Kira and Seren had stopped the power of their mobile suits and had them remain on standby on a side of the plateau overlooking the Archangel. They had dressed in their Earth forces uniforms and were admiring their work. A warm breeze was blowing in their hair. Sai passed them by with rolls of cord on his shoulders and complimented them on their good job. He went down the slope just as Cagalli climbed up. She had left her jacket in the base.

"I apologize for earlier. I didn't mean to hit you... err... well, I guess I did. But it was a spontaneous thing... forgive me." The blonde tomboy looked away, clearly tense and embarrassed. That was so cutely honest and awkward that the childhood friends could not help but laugh, even though they tried to stiffle it as they knew she would get angry. And indeed she angrily asked them what was so funny.

"Well, that's because..." Kira began, sitting down on the stone he was on.

"I kept thinking about you after that, about what happened to you..." Cagalli told them. It was obvious she had truly felt concerned about them. The Coordinators looked down. They were remembering that time when they had forced her into that elevator that had taken her down into a shelter. "And then you arrive, piloting those things..." She glared at the mobile suits. "And if that's not bad enough, you're now with the Earth Forces." She criticized them again. Kira looked down and closed his eyes but not Seren.

"Many things happened along the way. Many things..." The boy muttered softly.

"And since you don't know any of them, could you please not be so judgemental? Jumping to conclusions seems to be one of your bad habits. And you're also impulsive, stubborn, quick-tempered, rebellious and violent, right?" Seren commented bluntly.

"Are you picking a fight?"

"Those are not such bad traits. Of course you must be careful but they mean that you're a sincere and straightforward person who won't pretend, deceive, or manipulate. And I... really like that." And Seren smiled so candidly that Cagalli could not stay mad. That pilot of the Blast appeared to be quite eccentric and outspoken herself... but certainly, she was a good person. Having watched the exchange, Kira let out a knowing and pleased little smile. In this make-or-break moment, these two had...made it. They had hit it off. He asked what she was doing in a place like this. After all, both childhood friends had thought she was from Orb. The blonde appeared troubled, remained quiet; and looked away. As Seren would guess, it seemed more like she couldn't tell rather than she wouldn't. And since she was like an open book, and after watching how everyone acted around her, the female Coordinator had already whipped up a list of possibilities concerning her real identity. Further down, she had also spotted the same dark-skinned man in black with the bow and arrows strapped across his back who had earlier stepped in front of La Flaga. He was intently watching them from behind a rock formation.

"Well, it may be ZAFT territory but look at this area. It's not as if their forces can cover the whole desert." Sahib waved his mug over the North African zone on the map. "But since the Victoria spaceport was taken over three days ago, they've increased pressure considerably." He briefed them. That last piece came as a bolt from the blue for the three officers of the Archangel and significantly upset them. "The African community has traditionally sided more with the PLANTs. In the south, the South African Union has been doing their darnedest but the Earth Forces ultimately abandonned them anyway. Their line has moved daily."

"On the other hand, you people are really doing your best." La Flaga praised with such humor that one could only feel as if he were mocking them. The Head of the Resistance glared at him and silently sipped his coffee.

"As we see it, ZAFT and the Earth Forces are the same. They both come here only to control us and take away what is ours." Ashman paused. That one had clearly stung the captain, but if it had stung the two others, then they didn't show it. "How is that ship in Earth's atmosphere?" He returned to the main topic. Natarle answered that it couldn't fly at high altitudes. "If you can't get over a mountain range with it... the alternative would be to break through Gibraltar." Sahib suggested. The idea was certainly to go up or down the Atlantic Ocean and then into the Pacific Ocean or the Artic Sea. However Gibraltar was a very firmly implanted ZAFT base...

"With our current battle strength? Don't ask the impossible." Mu argued as if the Resistance member had a loose screw.

"Hmm... then you have no choice but to try to get past to the Red Sea, through the Indian Ocean and over the Pacific Ocean." Sahib proposed again. The others considered the option. As Badgiruel pointed out, it was not a distance they could cover without replenishing along the way. And Mu added that the Oceania Union was completely within ZAFT territory too. What about the Equatorial Union then? Was it still neutral? "Hey, aren't you thinking too far ahead? You're already thinking about being there!" Ashman stopped them. "Right here, the Lesseps is in Banadiya." He pointed at a place on the map.

"Oh, so that's what you meant by 'trying to get past'." La Flaga understood at last. Murrue sighed. Somehow, all the alternatives seemed awfully close to unrealizable... however, they had no choice.

DaCosta knocked and entered, and covered his nose as soon as he did. As usual, his superior was brewing his weird coffee blends. And it smelled.

"Commander, what do you say we ventilate this room?" Martin advised with a pleading note.

"Is that what you've come all this way to tell me?" Waltfeld dismissed his concerns.

"N-no, sir. That's not why. Preparations for sortie have been completed, sir!"

"Okay." The commander acknowledged. He had poured his coffee into his mug and was deeply breathing in its aroma, savoring it. "I would have prefered not to do anything so drastic. But I guess it can't be helped." He sighed and sipped his drink. "This is good. I added a little Hawaiian kona this time. This is nice too."

Meanwhile, it was dinnertime at the camp of the Resistance. The members were lining up to get their food and the former students of Heliopolis were watching from a corner. They all had disconcerted faces. To end up at the base of the Resistance... things were getting crazier by the day. Kuzzey went further. Right smack in the desert... if he had known he would disembarked when he had the chance. Tolle reminded him that if he had boarded that shuttle back then, he'd be dead now. Milly worriedly wondered what was going to happen to them. Her boyfriend placed his hand on the back of her head and tenderly made her lean against him. Sai stared slightly enviously when he spotted Flay coming their way. Tolle wrapped his arm around Milly's shoulder and Sai approached his ex-fiancée. She had barely arrived that she asked after Kira without even greeting them. Sai frowned as she kept looking around for the Strike's pilot.

"We will now commence our attack on the Resistance base. They clearly overdid it last night. We must properly discipline naughty children." The Tiger smirked ferociously as he adressed his troops. Their target was Tassil. DaCosta ordered all men to board and go to their stations.

The three officers of the Archangel were sitting around one of the many campfires at the Resistance frontline base, drinking coffee. Murrue was staring at the flames with a very troubled expression, and Mu was worriedly gazing at her. Kira and Seren had returned the Strike and the Blast inside the hangar and were doing the final adjustments to their machines for improved combat abilities in the desert.

"You two are really useful pilots, you know? You're suddenly giving it your full attention, Ensign Yamato, Ensign Ashford." The chief mechanic laughed and left. The two didn't reply and started typing again. It was not like they had a choice! Unless they did their best and got stronger, then this ship would...

Cagalli was looking around, clearly looking for someone – or some people – when she was hailed by Afhmed. He offered her some food. But instead, she just asked whether they had seen the pilots of the Earth Forces mobile suits.

"No. Do you have business with them?"

"It's nothing important... I just forgot to ask their names again."

"Huh? But I thought you knew those guys..."

"Eh? Ah, well... yeah, that's right. It's true that we met before..." She stammered uneasily. She was called by her 'babysitter' (the dark-haired, dark-skinned, dark-clothed archer). She apologised to Afhmed and followed him.

"You must be careful, or else you'll be found out." He admonished her very politely once they had reached a deserted place.

"Sorry." Cagalli hung her head.

"You have a tendency to overlook what's around you."

"Shut up!" She ran away like an unreasonable child. Her guardian sighed.

"It's about time when the town calls it a night." DaCosta lowered his night-vision binoculars. He hadn't observed any movement in town and most lights were out.

"Some might consider putting them to sleep eternally... but I'm not that kind of person." The officer smiled good-heartedly at his subordinate. He was perfectly aware that his point of view could be considered as naïve by a vast majority of people. As a soldier, it would be his duty to kill as many enemies as possible. And those who attacked you were necessarily enemies, right? "We'll issue a warning first, then attack fifteen minutes later. Come on, hurry up and tell them." He ordered. Martin saluted, climbed onto the second jeep, and a soldier drove him down the cliff to the village.

When she finished working on the Blast, Seren left. Kira still had some fine-tuning to do. She was headed to the camp when she was stopped by Cagalli who asked her her name. After the introductions, the female Coordinator decided to guide her to Kira. But as they were walking, they heard Sai's upset voice.

"Wait a minute, Flay! That doesn't explain a thing!"

"Would you shut up? Just stay away from me!" Flay snapped back as she marched in their direction. She stopped when she noticed them, glared hatefully, averted herself haughtily, and strode away. Sai, too, paused when he saw them, and seemed particularly agitated when his eyes fell on Seren. He chased after Flay. She saw Kira, who was just going down the steps, and cried his name, sounding greatly relieved, as if she had found the hunter to shoot the bad wolf chasing her. She latched onto his arm.

"What?" Kira asked Sai, his tone a little curt and his eyebrows slightly knitted.

"I need to talk to Flay. It has nothing to do with you, Kira."

"It has everything to do with him! I..." Flay retorted. "Last night, I was in Kira's room!" She yelled. The blow came like a cannon ball to the listeners' chests. Sai, as well as Seren and Cagalli who had hidden behind a rock... sheer shock and horror mixed intensely, painfully across their features.

Missiles fell on Tassil. In this rain of shells, this sea of flames, people fled; their screams and their cries drowned out by the explosions and the rumble of their collapsing homes. The four BuCUEs advanced into the burning town like robotic monsters laying waste to everything on their path. And from the cliff, Andrew Waltfeld was watching the devastation he had commanded. Black smoke was rising and vanishing in the dark of the night. Even from this distance he could hear the wails of terror and sorrow of the population. But on his face was not a single trace of joy at this overwhelming victory. Women, children, elders... Even if he had spared their lives, tonight, on his order, they would lose their place and means of living.

Kira kept silent and looked down. He... didn't deny Flay's affirmation. When he looked at Sai, he saw the suffering and the unshed tears behind his tinted glasses and he recoiled slightly, his eyes wide. Sai had always been a precious friend to him. Sai had always supported him and trusted him, even during the incident with Lacus Clyne. Sai loved Flay, his fiancée. Even if it had been just a verbal agreement between their fathers, their feelings had been real and mutual. And without a word, without a second thought, he, Kira had in a single night destroyed all that. But even even though he knew it was wrong, even though the guilt was twisting and wringing his heart so painfully, letting go now was impossible. Flay had finally chosen him. And he needed her. The pilot of the Strike averted his eyes.

"Eh? Kira?" Sai clenched his fists. How come Kira was not denying? He should not be that type of guy. "What does this mean, Flay?! You..."

"It doesn't matter, right?! It has nothing to do you, Sai!" Flay closed his eyes.

"Stop it, Sai. It looks to everyone like you're just harassing Flay who's not interested." Kira said, his voice unnaturally antagonizing, annoyed, cold, disdainful.

"What are you saying!?" The crewman second class interjected with a voice quivering with rage and pain.

"I'm tired from last night's battle. Would you please stop it?" Kira dismissed him contemptuously, took Flay by the shoulders and returned inside with her. Full of rage, Sai tried to attack the remorseless 'friend' who had stolen the woman he loved but Kira caught his arm and twisted it behind his back. "Stop that. If I got serious in a fight, you'd have no chance against me." The Coordinator looked down on the ex-fiancé and pushed him down. He stumbled down the stairs, turned and fell back on the sand.

Sai and Flay were shocked. The always so meek, gentle and pacifist Kira who would never flaunt his power or raise a hand against one he considered as a friend... had...

Sai stammered his name. Kira returned to Flay who looked as if she was finally realizing what she had done, and the extent of her influence on him...

"Flay was kind. She stayed with me the whole time. She held me in her arms. She said she would protect me... even though no one ever stops to think about my feelings when I go out to battle!" Kira yelled with tears of rage and sorrow flowing down his purple eyes. Sai was stunned.

"Kira." Flay whispered his name tenderly as she hugged him.

"So that's how it is." Seren revealed herself. Her childhood friend froze when he saw her and her agonizingly sorrowful expression. "But you know, the power to fight you just flaunted, it comes from your genes, from the mere fact that you're a Coordinator, and not from you. Being able to win a fight against a love rival, is that really the most important? If I beat Flay in a fight, would you go out with me instead? If I defeat you, would it necessarily mean I am right and you're wrong? That's not it, right?" Her voice sounded so calm and yet Kira knew she was more upset, sad, and angry than ever, because he could see something now that wasn't there before. There was disappointement in her eyes, so much that it felt as if she had given up on him. He had lost her consideration, her friendship... he had lost her. And it felt like knives piercing his chest, tearing his heart. "Even though the feelings when we go into battle together are the same, the people we couldn't protect are the same... but look at you now. If you were to become like this, it would have been better if you had let me fight alone."

And Kira remembered... "fight alone"... _"I will... kill people to protect others. I will embrace the pain and the tears and the hatred. So it's fine if you don't come no, I'd prefer if you didn't, for your own sake. It's not necessary for you too to risk your life and bear the burden. So don't worry, I'll be fine even if I am alone." _ At that time, before the collapse of Heliopolis, Seren had tried to protect him. _"Kira, look at me. The fight is over now. We're all fine, the ship, our friends, the lieutenant, you, me, and those guys. We're all unharmed. We protected everyone. So let go, and come. You did well."_ At that time, after Athrun had almost captured him, Seren had saved him, she had smiled kindly and warmly, her hands on his, and then they had held each other._"Even though I don't know the way yet, for you, for Athrun, for myself, for everyone, I promise I'll try to change the situation. So don't worry, it'll be alright. I am here. I am here." _ After the escape from Artemis, she had also comforted him and hugged him tight. And how many times during the battles had she protected him? Even last night...

"Conversely, scorning Sai's sincere feelings, showing no remorse after what you've done... This... is nothing short of a betrayal! Were both of your feelings straight and genuine, I wouldn't say anything, but Kira, you're only looking for an escape to your pain and because of the guilt you feel towards her and Flay's only looking for a tool to enact her revenge against all Coordinators, ZAFT who's attacking, and us who couldn't protect. We suffer when we fight our own kind, we suffer when we can't protect anyone, that's why she wants us to keep fighting and suffering until we die fighting. Right now... you two are acting like the worst of the worst!" Seren shouted with disgust. And just a second later, they heard a whistle. It was an alarm.

Sahib took his talkie walkie and asked what it was. The sky was burning in Tassil's direction! The members of the Resistance ran. Cagalli joined them. In each other's arms, Kira and Flay could also see the town blazing in the distance. Seren stared in the same direction for a moment. She clenched her fists, closed her eyes, breathed deeply. She opened her golden eyes again, ran up the stairs, shoved the couple out of the way and rushed inside towards the changing room.

* * *

The evening calm brings the premonition of a storm. The hearts that met again and the hearts that got separated... was it coincidence? Was it inevitable? Weakness calls for power to fight, fear begets conflict and pain causes anger. Lured by a mirage called 'love', people got lost. We can't return to that time anymore. The days of our innocent youth have long since died.


	17. An eye for an eye

**Phase-17: An eye for an eye**

The few men who had remained in Tassil fired at the BuCUEs. But of course there was no way a simple firearm could even scratch a mobile suit. They were scattered. In retaliation against such feeble attempts at resisting, ZAFT destroyed any house they found still standing. At a little distance from the burning ruins, the villagers, mainly consisting of women, children, and elders could only watch helplessly.

"There should be food, fuel, and weapons stashed away in the caves of the rock mountain. Burn those too." Andrew Waltfeld ordered over the phone on the jeep. The BuCUEs obeyed and turned towards the refugees. DaCosta warned them that they were going to burn up the insides of the caves behind them. Those who didn't want to die should leave as soon as possible. The villagers ran away. The missiles entered the caves, destroying everything.

At the Resistance camp, someone swore and slammed his fist on a machine. He couldn't get in touch with the village at all. They were hurrying, trying to get their ammo loaded as fast as possible. Some had sick and bedridden or old and weak family members inside that village. Kira and Sai ran closer to listen to what was going on. Flay followed and stayed behind them. Cagalli passed them by and joined Sahib. He wanted half the troops to remain here in case there was a secondary force waiting in ambush. Ramius asked La Flaga for his opinion.

"Hmm... I never heard anything about the Desert Tiger practicing military cruelty..." The man pondered. "But it's not as if I know him personally." He balanced his estimation with his usual smile. The woman sighed. "So what shall we do? Shall we go too?"

"It wouldn't be wise to take the Archangel anywhere. As he says, we can't rule out the possibility of a secondary force. Commander, will you go?"

"Eh? Me?"

"The skygrasper is the quickest way to get there, right?" The captain smiled knowingly.

"You're right." It was Mu's turn to sigh. He had hoped the trouble wouldn't come his way but it couldn't be helped after all. And it was asked so nicely too. "Alright. I'll be on my way!" And he ran to change into his pilot suit.

"At most, our purpose is rescue only! I'll send the doctor and some other help by jeep!" She yelled after him. He waved without turning back. Sahib left with his men. Cagalli came out of a crevasse fully armed. She had donned her jacket again. A jeep stopped right before her and Ahfmed told her to get on. She gladly did. Kisaka jumped behind them with loads of ammunitions and they drove away too.

Ramius ordered all hands to return to the ship at once and take defensive positions. Kira's hand left Flay's shoulder and he raced back to the ship. She cried his name and tried to follow him but Sai stopped her. She glared at him, shook him off and ran after Kira. Sai trembled. He curled his fists.

"You fool." His anguished voice quivered.

Kira leapt up the stairs and retraced Seren's footsteps. When he arrived at the hangar, the chief mechanic teased him about his lateness. Seren had long taken her position in the Blast. The Resistance arrived in view of the blazing village. Mu's skygrasper launched into the night. Murrue told her vice-captain to be precise about her report and careful of the situation since this could be a feint staged by the enemy. Natarle saluted and two jeeps left the Archangel with a few soldiers, the doctor, and the Lieutenant JG. The pilots of the Strike and Blast waited in their machines, on standby.

DaCosta returned to his superior and sat at his side. Andrew inquired about the casualties on either side.

"Huh? How could there be? It's not as if we fought." Martin answered. The commander repeated that he was talking about BOTH sides. "Well... I'm sure there must have been some in the city who tripped or got slightly burned..."

"Then let's get out of here." The Desert Tiger sat back down. "And let's hurry. If we dilly dally, the husbands will be back."

"Isn't the whole point of this to attack as they return?" The subordinate exclaimed, surprised. Smoke out the prey and shoot when they show up was a basic tactic, something any military man would do!

"Hey, hey, come on now! That wouldn't be fair, would it?" Waltfeld looked at his right hand man as if scolding him for being so cruel and heartless. "We didn't burn their town to lure them!" The reason why he had burned that town... was to deter the Resistance. It was a message: if you fight, your families will suffer. And also, they would be forced to move somewhere else, probably far away, in hope to find the necessary resources, maybe too far to be able to mount proper attacks on his occupation forces... "Our objective here has been met! We're returning!"

La Flaga's fighting plane passed over the vehicles of the Resistance and flew over the town. From the sky, he could fully 'appreciate' all the damage done. Not a single building had been spared. On the other side he saw all those refugees and reported his findings to the Archangel. It was hard to explain how such a large amount of people could have survived such destruction. There was no sign of the enemy either. The Freedom fighters who had come reunited with their families. They all cried from relief. But... their homes had burned! Natarle arrived and joined with the Lieutenant Commander, just as surprised by what she was seeing. Sahib was coordinating the assistance effort when the village elder called his name. Cagalli was glad to see that he and Yaru – the child supporting him and Sahib's son – were alright. Sahib inquired about the rest of the family. They had helped an old man who had fallen and were over there with him. The leader of the Resistance ruffled his son's hair and praised him. The boy started sobbing from the emotion. His parent asked how many had been killed during the raid.

"Not a single life has been lost." The senior stated, surprising all the new comers. The two officers of the Archangel had also come to listen. "They warned us ahead of time. They told us they were about to set the town on fire and to run away." The listeners were even more shocked at this. "And then they set everything ablaze. Food, ammunition, fuel... everything. Sure, no one died. But what are we expected to live on now?"

"That bastard... what the hell is he thinking, that damn Tiger?!" Sahib clenched his fists in frustration.

"But there are ways to survive, right? As long as you're alive. It appears as though the Tiger has no intention of engaging in serious battle with you."

"What do you mean?!"

"This is likely a punishment for what you did to them last night. I'd say this is awfully kind of the Tiger to let you off with something minor like this."

"How dare you! Having a town burnt down is minor?!" Cagalli snapped, swinging an arm mechanically, which was barely dodged. "How can you regard someone who'd do this as kind?!" She waved her fist under his nose. The Earth Alliance officer stepped back and raised his hand in defense. He apologised for his upsetting words, but the enemy was an established army. They must realize that if ZAFT had truly been serious, it would have been much worse. "That's guy's a cowardly bastard! They burn down our town while we're not even there and they think they've won?! We have continued to fight courageously at all times! We even destroyed their BuCUEs last time! That's why that cowardly bastard can only get back at us like this! The hell with that Desert Tiger!"

A man called Sahib and asked him to come. They went away. Mu looked back at Cagalli who was glaring back at him extremely fiercely. He looked backward with a very uneasy expression, as if trying to escape the daggers shooting from those clear and straightforward eyes. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Well, uh... what a detestable guy, that Tiger." He stammered.

"You too!" The girl shouted back and stormed away. The man shrugged and smiled like he was humoring a child. He turned and saw all the women – Badgiruel included – giving him scarily dark looks. Even if he was right, there should have been other ways to say it other than that mocking and patronizing attitude!

"Oh, my..." He smiled nervously. What a blunder for him.

Sahib joined most of the men near the combat vehicles. All were itching to fight and get revenge for what had happened to their village. It hadn't been long since ZAFT had left the town. They could still catch up to them! They'll also be low on ammunition after the attack. Now was the chance! How could they just sit back after being treated like this?!

"Don't be ridiculous! If you have the time for that, take care of the injured! Stay with your wife and children! That takes precedence!" The chief bellowed.

"How's that gonna help up?! Look!" A fighter marched up right to him and stabbed his arm over Sahib's shoulder, pointing at the burning town. "Tassil's finished! Our homes, food, and everything else have been burnt to the ground! Are you telling us to just sit back and weep with our wife and kids?!"

"You're not telling us to let the Tiger own us like pets, are you? Sahib!" Another agreed.

"Let's go!" And five jeeps full of enraged men thirsting for revenge drove away to Sahib's dismay. This was no good at all! With their current number of people, ammunition and state of mind, they were going to be decimated in the blink of an eye! They had completely lost it! He called one of his men. He was going too. He couldn't leave them alone. He had to go and try to minimize the losses. Cagalli tried to follow but he shoved her down and expressly forbid her to come. She coughed from the sand and cried after him. Afhmed stopped besides her... at the wheel of another jeep. He told her to get on. Kisaka had already taken his place behind. Clearly, he was not happy with this, but he already knew it was pointless arguing with those two. So just like Sahib, he came to try and keep those hot heads in check... somehow. She nodded and jumped in.

Sahib saw them and attemped to make them return. He was the only with enough experience and composure to be able to judge the situation accurately. Their chance of dying now far exceeded anything they had done before. And he couldn't allow that. Not those children... But of course they wouldn't listen. After all they had been the ones to defeat the BuCUEs last time.

"There are no underground traps in this direction! Go back, Afhmed!"

"There are lots of ways we can fight!" Cagalli smiled confidently, not aware yet of just how baseless that confidence was. As Afhmed agreed and drove past the leader's jeep, Kisaka looked at Sahib and silently nodded. No matter what, he would protect them.

"What to say... this is a land where both the wind and the people are very heated." La Flaga sighed.

"They'll be annihilated! They'll have no chance against the BuCUEs with their equipment!" Badgiruel cried out.

"You're right... so what will we do?" Mu turned to the vice-captain.

"D-don't ask me..." The young woman stammered a little, holding the hem of her cap. That rare and slightly flustered expression was rather cute. Although she was a very strong, strict and authoritative person, when it came to that man, she had a tendency to rely on him.

"What did you say?!" Murrue Ramius exclaimed in sheer disbelief, standing up and surprising her subordinates. "They went after the enemy? But that's crazy! Why didn't you stop them, shousa!"

"They were so determined! The mood was such that if we tried to stop them, they'd attack us instead! But more importantly... there are many injured people here who need treatment. And there's the problem of food and particularly water." La Flaga reported from his skygrasper. "What'll we do?" He was standing on a small ladder. The craft was surrounded by curious children. And there was a long line of wounded people waiting for their turn before the doctor's tent. Natarle knelt next to a child crying in his mother's arms. The boy's arm was in a sling.

"Does it hurt? Here, stop crying." She put her cap on his head and he instantly calmed down. "I know. I've got something good." She took a bar from her pocket, removed the wrapping and handed him the food. "Here, it's delicious." She smiled softly. The little one tasted it and then wolfed it down. The woman looked behind her only to notice that children had her completely surrounded. "I-I don't have that many!" She stuttered, stood up and rummaged through her clothes, very embarrassed. "Oh no, this is troublesome." She scratched the back of her head. She had only two more bars.

The captain of the Archangel was remembering the blonde girl from the Resistance. She sighed and decided to have Ensign Yamato and Ensign Ashford go. They couldn't just let those Resistance members die without doing anything. She would also have water and medicine delivered through the remaining vehicles. She commanded Haw-nitohei to have the Strike and the Blast launch. She relayed the order. The pilots rogered. The Strike equipped the Sword pack and the Blast the Storm Blade packs. They launched.

The ZAFT forces were leisurely returning to their base. The commander had his eyes closed. It looked as if he was taking a nap. DaCosta asked whether they could go a little faster.

"You wanna get back quickly, do you?"

"They'll catch up to us at this rate!"

"Then they're at a crossroads of destiny." Waltfeld opened his deep blue eyes and crossed his arms behind his head.

"Huh?"

"A self-propelled gun can't even put up a decent fight against our BuCUEs. I often hear people say 'I'd rather die...' but do you think they really mean it?" The Tiger wondered. It was then a mobile suit pilot detected and reported the approach of eigth vehicles from behind, supposedly Resistance fighter vehicles. "After all, it seemed they would rather die..."

The Resistance attacked from 7 o' clock. Cagalli fired at the front jeep but DaCosta veered, avoiding the projectile. He urged his commander who agreed. They had no choice but to fight back. The freedom fighters aimed at the same jeep but a BuCUE made a barrage and took the hits. As they could not get to the captain without first incapacitating those monsters, they directed their weapons towards the mobile suits. The quadrupeds tried to sweep or crush the scurrying mice with their paws, however, it proved harder than expected. The girl hit a head, and Kisaka a leg. A machine was already down! Afhmed cheered. A MS pilot cursed the annoying ants and leapt. It shifted into tank mode and landed on a Resistance jeep, smashing it and the two men inside it before immediately going after another. It ran over two more jeeps, making them explode.

"Jaful! Ahid!" Sahib screamed. Afhmed swore and swerved, bringing his vehicle right under a BuCUE, allowing Cagalli and Kisaka to shoot its exposed belly. Its pilot cursed. Since the attack had slightly slowed him, the jeep had gotten a head start... and was now at the worst place possible. The quadruped raised a paw.

"Jump off!" Kisaka yelled warningly, jumping off himself and taking Cagalli with him. But Afhmed couldn't react in time. He and the car were swept away and flew in the air. The girl screamed his name. Just as the BuCUE was going to finish her and her guardian off, a shell hit the head of the Mobile Suit. It was Sahib who was roaring and firing with two RPGs at the same time, one on each shoulder. This allowed Cagalli to escape. He looked sideways at the three BuCUEs further away.

_"You're not telling us to let the Tiger own us like pets, are you? Sahib!" _ And now... they were all dead... because they couldn't bear it even for a little while... they were all dead now! And he had not been able to stop it! The driver called him. A BuCUE had started chasing them.

"Damn you!" Ashman yelled, turning to shoot the TMF/A-802 while fully aware of the pointlessness of such action. There was nothing else he could do. He, too, was going to die. Suddenly, DaCosta detected two approaching heat sources. The ZAFT units dodged the beams. The Strike and the Blast had come. But all of their shots missed. The EA pilots were surprised at first but soon understood. The time and temperatures were different. The deflection was caused by the heat convection. They typed on their keyboards and adjusted the parameters. A BuCUE shot missiles at the Strike that evaded them fired back. The beam hit the base of the missile pod, detaching it and making it explode. But the unit itself was still fine. Another had its right wing vaporized by the Blast. The ZAFT pilots were scared as they really had it close. DaCosta too was very troubled that the Earth Forces mobile suits had come to the Resistance's help. Their arrival had made the issue and the survival of his commander uncertain. But that same commander was quite impressed, and also appreciated this new occasion to observe them. Their equipment was different from last time. And the aim of the beam... had they already included the heat convection parameters? His smirk was now tinted with fear and apprehension... and anticipation. Just like a tiger observing dangerous but irresistibly delicious-looking preys... Really, it was hard to believe those two were Naturals and when you thought about their growth rate... they were truly some nasty pilots...

Kira and Seren blocked missiles with their shields. There were four units but one couldn't move. They zoomed. The smashed jeeps, the burning remnants, the corpses, Cagalli and Kisaka kneeling and bending over Afhmed's body... The young Coordinators clicked their tongues and flew away.

"Afhmed! Hang on, Afhmed!" Cagalli cried.

"Cagalli... to me... you're..." Afhmed began weakly but before he could finish, his last breath left his lips and he went limp, his feelings forever sealed behind his closed eyes. For a second, the girl looked in horror but then she screamed his name again and again... until she accepted the truth. It was too late. She held him tight, sobbed, and howled.

Then, the third BuCUE moved. It could still fight! But the pilot, Kirkwood, received a communication from his commander who told him to switch place with him. This shocked both DaCosta and Kirkwood. The Commander was going to fight on the frontline in person?!

"There are things one can only be sure of after exchanging fire with the other!" The Tiger justified himself.

Kira and Seren fired at the BuCUEs but missed. Those things' mobility on sand was really troublesome. ZAFT retaliated but their missiles also missed. The Blast and two machines engaged into ranged shoot out. But Seren didn't lose in maneuverability either. Her backward flying technique, her sudden and sharp movements... it was getting easier and easier for her to detonate missiles or make them collide against each other. And she was also getting used to their evasive patterns. Everything was according to data. If she had a slight weakness, it was distance. Even though they could only deal little damage, it was fine if they kept her at bay. It was a battle of attrition. But they also had to be careful of her learning ability and adaptability. If they dragged things too long, if they let her get too close, she would have them completely figured out and deal with them in a second. The Strike leapt and a BuCUE jumped after it but was kicked down. Kira aimed. At this distance, in this position, there was no way the enemy could escape. But because of his focus on the one before him, he was left open and his right side suffered several hits. He winced, landed again, and protected himself with his shield. The fourth machine? It could still move?!

"Formation Diamond! Take your positions! Focus all your attacks on the Strike but be extra careful of the Blast's movements or you'll get shot down before you know it!" Waltfeld ordered.

"Commander!" The three other pilots exclaimed, taking heart from their leader's presence.

"Let's go!" They dodged the Blast's shots with the smallest movements possible, only getting chipped a bit, passed the Strike by at high speed, scraped it, disorienting its pilot, and shooting its head with a missile before it could recover. And although the phase-shift system did its job, it also got drained with each hit. The Strike jumped up, avoiding the next two missiles, but this maneuver had been anticipated and a BuCUE appeared right before him. Kira shot with his igelstellung to no avail. He was kicked down. "Even with regular warheads, the Phase-shift armor loses its effect after 76 shots! And when that happens, the rifle simultaneously runs out of power!"

Seren cursed. These guys had suddenly gotten a lot better when that unit had started moving again. And the one that now moved the best was the very same one that had been momentarily immobilised. And right now there was only one reason she could think of for such an increase in those soldiers' overall morale and ability... The Strike's pilot activated the thrusters, breaking the fall, and drifted away. Shells rained down around him and some hit.

"Now, how do you get yourself out of this jam, strange pilot?!" The Tiger's feral smirk widened, knowing he had cornered his prey. He shot more rockets. A seed exploded in both Kira's and Seren's minds. The boy slowed down and the shells hit each other and exploded. He turned around, charged at the enemy mobile suits and let go of his shield. At the same moment, the girl swooped down from the flank and took a beam saber. The Strike's shield collided with the right unit, knocking it over. The Blast sliced the missile pod of the BuCUE before her, but it disconnected the pod from the body and escaped the explosion. Seren blocked the missiles from the unit at her left with her shield and in a synchronized attack with Kira, shot the middle one but missed when it jumped away.

"Attack them individually! Confuse them!" Andrew Waltfeld, the one who had just avoided being shot down, fired again. The Strike dodged by lunging forward. A BuCUE tried to block him but got its wing sliced instead. The EA mobile suit went on to attack the lead unit. The ZAFT officer fired. Kira turned over, causing his thrusters to create a wave of sand against which the missiles crashed harmlessly. The podless BuCUE leapt over the smoke. But when it reached the other side and looked down, it was to see the Strike flying parallelly to the ground and aiming at him with its rifle. Kira fired, piercing through the enemy that exploded in mid-air. He then shot at a ZAFT mobile suit that jumped to avoid it but the Blast's pilot had anticipated its movements and bisected it. It exploded too. She immediately went after the commander unit. "Damn you!" The Tiger screamed and charged. Kira slashed and cut a leg while Seren gashed the flank. "DaCosta, we're retreating!" He had calmed down and assessed that they couldn't win now. DaCosta concurred. "What guys. I haven't had this much fun in a long time..." He grinned again as he, DaCosta in the jeep, and the second surviving BuCUE withdrew. The EA pilots did not chase them. They had returned to normal, but they were still panting and sweating.

After the battle, the survivors and the others Resistance members who later come for relief were grouped before the now deactivated Strike and Blast. Kira and Seren went down and removed their helmets.

"Are you trying to get killed?" Kira asked bluntly. "In a place like this... there's absolutely no reason to." He looked down. He looked incredibly tired and sad.

"You bastard! Look!" Cagalli grabbed the front of his suit and gestured towards Afhmed's body.

"That's you guys' own fault, isn't it? If your feel your honor is more important than your life then you can only blame yourselves. You knew that with your current weapons it was impossible for you to win against the mobile suits. You knew that this time they wouldn't hold back. And you still went. What do you call that if not 'pointless suicidal conduct'?" Seren concurred with her fellow pilot.

"How dare you?! We all fought desperately! We're all fighting desperately!"

"Then you should have been smarter about it. This is what a real war is. By all means, the Tiger should have shot you down the moment you arrived to that burning town. But he didn't. You had escaped with your lives. You should have used that to regroup, lay low, bid your time, and properly thought out your next attacks and their consequences on those you loved. But you went. That meant you would rather die, right?"

"But-!" The blonde fighter started before she was suddenly slapped by Kira.

"What the hell can you protect with just your feelings?!" The boy shouted with all his anger, sadness and frustration. But in his purple eyes, there was strength. Cagalli held her stinging cheek and stared at him, shocked. Seren closed her eyes. That Kira...

* * *

Life shines in a given moment. How many flames will we meet? How many of them will be extinguished? The man whose feelings cannot reach, the men whose fangs cannot reach... as they keep saying "we definitely can't understand each other" to the point they become stubborn, someday, everything will break... because not feelings alone nor power alone can achieve anything...


	18. The Tiger's den

**Phase-18: The Tiger's den**

Banadiya – the largest town in the area.

Jeeps drove up the main street. It was a market street. Food, notably fruits and vegetables stalls were lined up. Everyone was smiling, laughing, chatting happily, playing around... as it would be the case in any other town street market in a peaceful country. Looking at that, you would never guess this town was actually the headquarters of the ZAFT commander Andrew Waltfeld, nicknamed the Desert Tiger due to his skill at piloting a ground unit on desert and tactical prowesses on this same terrain. Well it also suited his sly, cool, level-headed, and yet ferocious personality. Ferocious, yes, on the field, but never cruel. He always did what he could to save and protect as many people as possible, his allies, just like his enemies. At least, that was what Seren had found out and concluded after gathering information from the Resistance members, the officers of the Archangel, and the computer.

They stopped and Cagalli, Kira, and Seren climbed down. The two pilots were in civilian clothes. Cagalli had her red t-shirt tucked in her cargo pants as usual. Kira had a blue t-shirt, white short-sleeved shirt he kept open, dark beige pants and blue sneakers. Seren was dressed in knee-length jeans shorts of yellowed stone-washed dark blue denim, frayed hems, and some distressed patches with a simple Persian green tank top and a fawn sleeveless vest. And at her feet were sand colored desert army boots. She still sported her leather necklace with the coral-colored stone.

"Then, see you in exactly four hours." Cagalli told Kisaka.

"Be careful."

"I know. You too. Al-Jairi is a person we can't let our guard down against, right?"

"Yamato-shoui-shou... shou... shounen..., Ashford, I... I leave it up to you." Natarle stammered with a blush on her cheeks. Tonomura, who was accompanying her as representatives of the Archangel, looked shocked for a time and closed his eyes and held his forehead. Just how bad was she at speaking and acting in a casual, laid-back manner? But they were here under cover, she couldn't call people by their military ranks. Sahib was there too, as well as two other guerrilleros.

"You too, Natarle-san." Seren smiled politely. She wasn't particularly fond of the Lieutenant JG, but that person did have some cute sides. Kira kept quiet. The jeeps drove away. Cagalli scolded the boy for being so absent-minded. After all, he and Seren were supposed to be her bodyguards. But he still couldn't believe that such a lively and peaceful town could be the Tiger's stronghold. The blonde girl humphed and told the two to follow her.

She lead them just a few corners away. Seren frowned and Kira's eyes widened before that scene. Collapsed buildings and cars reduced to rubble, craters caused by warheads, other buildings (standing), and beyond, the towering, menacing, humongous form of the Lesseps.

"It may look peaceful but looks can be deceiving. That is the real ruler of this city. Anyone who rebels is mercelessly killed. This place belongs to ZAFT... to the Desert Tiger."

And they looked on, unaware that they were being watched by the piercing blue eyes of a man with brown sideburns, a flashy yellow and red shirt, a boater hat, and sunglasses, sitting at the terrace of a café.

The Resistance camp had taken a certain homelike feel since the refugees from Tassil had come. Children were playing around, laundry were hanging from the missile pods to dry. Even in the Archangel, the mechanics were complaining that the brat and the missie were using the cockpit of their mobile suits as living quarters (and kept all that junk and garbage lying around). Flay was standing there with a garbage bag and a rather disgruntled expression. But whether that was being because she was stuck cleaning after Coordinators or because Kira spent more time on the Strike than with her or even because Kira had gone alone with the two (of the) girls she could stand the least (or both) was still a mystery. Mu and Murrue were watching from a causeway overhead. The woman seemed surprised and somehow unsettled. Wasn't she Sai-kun's girlfriend? She had really hit if off with Kira-kun? When did that happen? La Flaga was just as surprised. He hadn't seen that coming either. But that had certainly happened after they had landed on Earth. They had no time for that before. The captain turned heels, opened a door and walked away. The pilot followed her.

"I don't know whether he's lost it because of it or it's the result of him losing it. Same for Seren... had she already lost it and learning about it made it worse for her or did she learn and lose it after that? Whatever it is, the situation with those kids isn't good." He remarked. Not only had they started sleeping, eating, and spending all their times in their gundams, but now Seren was completely ignoring Kira and he'd often steal glances at her with the air of someone who didn't know what to feel or think or say or do. Anger, regrets, guilt, resentment, fear, hope, pride, distress...

"I should have been more aware... They're so skilled as pilots that I tend to forget that they're just children who haven't received proper training or anything..."

"It's not just your responsibility. That goes for me too. Their achievements have always been incredible. They must have been desperate. We never know when we'll be under attack. When that happens, they feel responsible for protecting the ship. They must have forced themselves into a corner with all that pressure." Even though they had had no choice, both officers felt very sorry for what they had done to those children. They were adults, and they were soldiers, this was the path they had chosen. But Kira and Seren were still really just children. They might have enlisted but that was only because the circumstances had forced them to, because they couldn't rely on the adults. By all rights, they should be living this peaceful life they admired so much. But now things had become like this. And all they –adults- could do was try to reduce the damage.

"Any idea on how to deal with this problem? You're the senior, right?" Murrue asked with a pleading note. Surely, a veteran pilot like him would have a clue about the needs of other pilots. The man looked up and cupped his chin, apparently deep in thought. He then looked at the very attractive woman before him who was staring back at him suspiciously, an eyebrow raised. His appreciative blue gaze travelled just a little further south to her oh so feminine and alluring attributes where it remained for a few seconds.

"My ideas may not be worth mentionning." He smiled sheepishly as he looked back into his captain's eyes.

"I kinda sensed that." She narrowed her eyes and raised her eyebrows at the badness Mu had just displayed. No matter how excellent, he was still a man. However, they couldn't know that his ideas had already become a fact in Kira's case, and that it was in good part what had envenomed everything. "In any case... with this change of pace I hope they'll come back feeling better and they will have reconciled after a day in the city." The female Lieutenant Commander snapped and marched away with an angry expression, her fists clenched.

"Must be nice to be young." La Flaga sighed enviously as he scratched the back of his blonde head.

On the bridge, the crew was discussing about how surprised they were by the captain's bold action to have let both Yamato and Ashford leave the ship even just for a few hours. And sitting at his position, listening to them discussing about Seren's and Kira's strength and essentiality, Sai remembered... when Flay had tackled him in a fearful and desperate hug, her eyes full of tears, after that battle when Kira had almost gotten captured by the Aegis. He remembered Flay when she had just watched her father's ship explode, when she had snapped at him that time he had tried to talk to her when she was nursing Kira, and...

_"I was in Kira's room last night!"_

_"Stop that. If I got serious in a fight, you'd have no chance against me."_

But...

_"Being able to win a fight against a love rival, is that really the most important?"_

The crewmen were still gossiping and complaining that they wanted to go out too. One wondered whether Ashford and Yamato were really that strong that they'd be assigned as bodyguards. His friend reminded him that they were Coordinators, Coordinators... with such a resigned tone.

Miriallia looked around from the top of the stairs leading outside and heaved a sigh. Her boyfriend joined her. She admitted having trouble relaxing without Kira or Seren around. He reassured her as usual. They'd be back in no time. In the meantime, they'd do whatever was required to protect the ship in those two's absence. Milly giggled and agreed with him.

Cagalli was haggling over products while Kira was carrying most of the merchandise and Seren was standing guard and helping the two. And meantime, in a guarded villa, Sahib and Natarle were talking over with Al-Jairi, a very influential merchant infamous for acquiring his wealth and most of his goods through ill-gotten means. However, even that could prove a necessary evil in certain circumstances.

"But what a surprise. I never expected that you would come to us."

"Must be nice to live such a comfortable life by monopolizing the water, eh, Jairi? If I had a choice I'd have preferred to never see your face again but it couldn't be helped. We can't afford to let our water supply dry up." Sahib replied crossly.

"All you need to do is change your way of thinking. Your top priority should not be your beliefs but your lives, Sahib Ashman. Water sources will change over time, right? Water is water, regardless of where you get it. You're fine as long as you drink it. That's what keeps us all alive." The bald, bearded dealer coaxed. But the sweet and soft tone of his low voice couldn't coat his poison, nor was he really trying to hide it. He seemed to enjoy watching people submit to the power of his wealth with his mocking, cunning, small beady eyes.

"I have no intention of debating with you right now! Tell me! Will you accept our request or not?!" Sahib snapped.

"Why, naturally. We'll do anything to help our fellow countrymen." He smiled in an annoyingly glib way. "Well, why don't we discuss the details at the factory?" He stood up, chuckled, and walked away, his hands clasped behind his back.

Kira slumped down on a chair. He and the two girls he was escorting were sitting at the terrace of a café. Cagalli looked through the list. With this they had got almost everything, but the requests of that girl, Flay, were really ridiculous. Elisario brand milky lotion? Beauty wash? As if those things could be sold here.

"It can't be helped. Even now Flay is still oblivious about the realities of the world and doesn't care about people's circumstances and feelings. The only times when I saw her acting nice and considerate it was because she had something to gain. She's still a spoiled little princess who lives in her own little doll house and expects people to dote on her and needs a knight to constantly indulge her. You can just ask Kira to pick whatever." Seren commented with an indifferent tone. The blonde guide blushed slightly and averted her face. If Kira liked it, that Flay would make an effort, because... well... However, that harsh review done with such a cool demeanor made Kira glare at her slightly. But there wasn't much anger. He knew that she meant. Flay needed a knight to constantly indulge her... and used her body to keep him at her side... and... and he remembered Seren's words when she had stood up for Sai. Even... even if she was right... even if her words were true... Flay had still chosen him! Him and not anyone else! He had to protect her and take care of her so she wouldn't cry again like that time... because of him... because of his weaknesses... But no matter how much he tried to convince himself, the truth was, he felt even more miserable than before.

The waiter gave them their plates of food and put down red bottle and a white bottle. There was some kind of flat bread topped with pieces of meat, a bit of salad and two tomato slices. He asked what it was.

"It's doner kebab!" Cagalli beamed. She seemed to really love this dish. She was tired and hungry too. "Let's eat! First you add this chili sauce..." She took the red bottle.

"Stop right there! Wait a moment!" A man's voice suddenly interrupted them. He ran to them and took the white bottle. He was dressed in a flashy red and yellow shirt, boater hat, sunglasses, and had tanned skin, and brown hair with sideburns. "How could you add chili sauce to kebab?! It's common sense to add this yogurt sauce!"

"Huh?!"

"Or rather than saying common sense, it's more like... how should I put it... right! Not adding yogurt sauce is a sacrilege against this dish!"

"What's with you?! You have no right to walk up to strangers and tell them how to eat!" The blonde teen put some of the red condiment on her kebab, folded it, and bit heartily.

"What a waste!" The stranger looked away and put his arm before his face as if he couldn't bear the sight of such desecration.

"De-li-ci-oouuuus!" The ardent supporter of the chili sauce faction grinned ear to ear. "Here, you too. For kebabs, you must obviously use chili sauce." She turned to Kira and Seren.

"Hey! Wait! Are you planning to make even them fall into your evil ways?!" Both tried to force their sauce onto the two other youngsters' dishes. Cagalli snapped at him to stay outta this. And they both cried, perfectly in sync, when they saw that Seren was already eating her kebab... without any sauce!

"I think it is good enough in its plain state. The juices and spices of the meat go well with the acidity of the tomato." But even though the brown-haired girl's remark had been so apathetic, her eyes did not lie... those cruel and patronizing amber eyes that taunted them 'Serves-you-right!-I-won't-let-anyone-decide-anything-for-me!'... The sauce advocates swore... they had been outpaced... if not her then at least... And so, Kira's kebab was smudged with both chili and yogurt sauce. He sighed resignedly.

And watching the scene through binoculars from the top of a building, a man clicked his tongue at that carefree guy playing around with kids. One of his comrades, armed with a rifle, asked about the children at that table.

"Just some brats from around here surely... and the type to prate with the Tiger..." He stood up and stepped back. At their side were a rocket launcher, rifles, and ammunitions.

"Then let's do this. Light the fireworks to let them know we're beginning."

"Yeah. May your soul abandon your body and return to space, damn Coordinator!"

Seren looked up and frowned. On the top of the building behind that stranger, there had been movements. And she had a bad feeling too. Something was going to happen. He apologized to Kira for his forcefulness. The boy smiled meekly and good-naturedly told him the mix wasn't bad either. Cagalli was still glaring at that shameless dude who had just up and sat with them at their table.

"But look at all the shopping you did. Are you having a party or something?" The apparently light hearted fellow looked at all their bags... while sitting in an unseemly pose. He was making himself too comfortable. Cagalli didn't like that and told him to shut up as it was not his business. The female bodyguard though found him quite prying, and despite his easy-going attitude, there was something really sharp about him.

"And who are you anyway?" The blonde fighter demanded. "You seat yourself at our table and start lecturing us about this and that." She kept ranting. But before she could continue a rocket was shot and sped towards them. Kira, Seren, and the stranger glared in the direction.

"Get down!" The man yelled warningly. He kicked the table up. The two childhood friends had already moved out of the way but Cagalli was a little overwhelmed and screamed. The table flew, along with everything that was on it. Sauce fell on her. In the same time, Kira dived to cover her. Seren, drenched in tea, was yanked by the adult. Both males covered the women on each side of the table's leg while the slab protected them from the blast of the explosion that completely ruined the shop. Black smoke rose. People screamed. Men came running and shooting with their rifles. "Are you alright, you guys?!" The stranger took out a small submachine gun. The teens looked at it. Cagalli asked what the hell was happening. Other men were using their table as shield and firing at the attackers.

"Die, Coordinator! You monster from the sky!" One of the assailants bellowed hatefully.

"For the preservation of our blue and pure world!" Another shouted.

"Blue Cosmos!" The two girls cursed with furious expressions. Bullets embedded themselves in the table. The one who had protected Seren stood up and fired at the enemies.

"Go ahead! Eliminate them all!" He ordered. One of the fanatics was killed really close by and his gun slid to Yamato's position. The two young Coordinators spotted terrorists hiding, waiting for their chance. Kira grabbed the gun and Seren a large shard from a broken glass; they came out of their cover in the same time as the assailants, did a low somersault and threw their weapons. The gun hit one's rifle, the shard deeply stabbed the other's shoulder. Seren took advantage of that moment to fly kick her enemy and Kira to kick his in the jaw. And upon seeing that, the commander smiled strangely.

"Okay, it's over!" One of the soldiers said. The brunette had already infered the identity of the pushy man. Blue Cosmos' attack, his giving orders, the air about him like an eagle hiding its talonts... and the image from when she had zoomed and fired at the enemy commander that night although it hadn't been that precise... there was no mistaking it. Another soldier killed off the two activists she and Kira had wounded. Her childhood friend looked down, clearly unable to stand such executions, but also unable to say anything. He was aware that it was not his place. Seren was different though. She kept a blank face but conflicting emotions were still raging inside her... her own loathing for those executions, and her memories of that day, when her mother had been killed... Cagalli scolded Kira for not even knowing how to use a gun. He slightly glared at her. Well, be that as it may...

"Commander! You're alright..." A man in ZAFT green uniform ran to his superior... the shameless dude in flashy clothes. Kira and Cagalli stared, open-mouthed.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks to those two." The Commander nodded to the dark haired teens... and took off his hat and sunglasses.

"Andrew... Waltfeld. The Desert Tiger." The blonde one whispered. The boy frowned, still surprised. Seren watched on, with casual vigilance.

"Man, you really saved my life. Thank you." The ZAFT officer smiled.

In a hangar, Al-Jairi told his customers they had already gathered the water, food, and fuel for them. Now for the last items... employees brought four boxes on handling trolleys and opened them.

"75mm AP shells, Morgenroete EQ-177 magnetic shielding units, Mark 500 radar arrays, and..." The broker listed the ammunitions. Tonomura and Badgiruel inspected the articles. Those were all genuine products. And they were amazed. They could only start to imagine the illegal routes used to get these. "Let's just say that there are numerous underground wells you are not aware of." Jairi laughed and then looked at the head of the Resistance. "Now, if we can come to an agreement as to what I get in return..."

Sahib was already aware of that. He asked the representatives of the Archangel who answered there was no problem with the merchandise. Although from their expression it was clear that their way of obtention didn't sit well with them, it was not like they could afford to be picky. The supplier was also sure he could get anything they asked. One of Jairi's men gave Sahib the cost estimate. Tonomura glanced at it and gulped in disbelief at the insane price. It was a joke, right?!

"Precious water doesn't come cheaply. It is, after all, what keeps you alive, is it not?" The dealer was as polite as always but with his narrowed eyes, his expression, his smile, people could not help but be reminded of a man-eater shark. The leader of the guerrilleros showed the estimate to Kisaka who just inquired whether earth dollars would be fine. Jairi agreed, and just like this, the deal was validated, much to Tonomura's stupefaction. He just couldn't keep up with all this crazyness. Everything was far above his head. Kisaka demanded that the items be transported right away.

Lines of trees, a huge and clear pond, an even huger, titanesque palace, white, u-shaped, of slight arabian influence, even bigger than the GINNs and BuCUEs – let alone tanks – guarding it, and right behind it, the Lesseps. Such an out-of-place scenery in this impoverished desert. The Commander's jeep drove down the vast court right up to the stairs. They were surrounded by ZAFT soldiers. He invited the three teens to accompany him. Kira tried to refuse courteously but the older man wouldn't hear any of it. Not only had he interrupted their meal but they had also saved him and the girls' clothes were all dirty now. He couldn't allow them to return like this as he just wouldn't feel right. The boy warily glanced at all the soldiers around them. Noticing that, Andrew closed his deep blue eyes resignedly, sneered slightly, and walked in the building. The youths were escorted inside but stopped when they saw this beautiful woman.

She had green eyes, chest-length dark blue hair, straight bangs, with two locks at the side of the bangs dyed yellow. She wore a blue choker and a blue spandex-like sleeveless jumpsuit, enhancing her slender body and feminine curves. The sleeves were separate and white and puffy around her arms and blue and tight around her forearms. There was this glamourous and somewhat coquettish air about her but for some reason it was hard for Seren to believe that she was just a pretty doll.

"Are those girls the ones you were talking about, Andy?" She inquired.

"Yeah, do what you can to clean them up. They've got chili sauce, yogurt sauce and tea on them."

"Oh my, you were having kebab, weren't you?" She deduced and approached the two girls and leant in for a closer look. Then she straightened up and stared from head to toe, as if appraising them, before taking them by the shoulders.

"C-Cagalli, Seren..." Kira worriedly tried to follow them.

"Don't worry, we'll be done in no time." The woman – certainly Andrew Waltfeld's lover and companion – said reassuringly. "Please wait here with Andy."

"Hey, for you it's this way." 'Andy' invited him into the room he had just entered. After a glance at the guarded door, Kira obeyed. A whole pan consisted of windows from floor to ceiling. There was a buffet table on the right where the officer was preparing coffee and expressing his confidence in his coffee-making skills.

There was also a low table between two couches, and on the left a fireplace (whose purpose was most likely purely decorative) and on the mantlepiece of which rested a small reproduction of Evidence 01. The commander offered Kira a seat and nodded towards the couch but the teen's attention was attracted to the relief of the winged whale. He approached and stared at it.

"Evidence 01. Have you ever seen the real thing?" Andrew questioned, handing him a cup of coffee. Kira answered negatively. "I have no idea why they call this thing a whale stone. Does it look like a whale to you?"

"No... well... even if you ask me..."

"No matter how you look at it, these looks like wings, right? Whales normally don't have wings do they?"

"Well, no. But this is supposed to be proof that Earth was visited by extraterrestrial creatures, so..."

"My point is, why is this a whale?"

"How would call it then?" The boy questioned. He took a sip and frowned a little.

"Hmm... nothing really comes to mind. By the way, how's the coffee?" The ZAFT soldier inquired. But before Kira's meek and slightly troubled expression he guessed immediately. "Perhaps it's still too early for you to understand an adult's taste..." He surmised. Kira smiled a little more.

Meanwhile, the blue-haired woman had laid really pretty outfits on the bed and seemed to be having a hard time choosing which would better suit the two young ones. Those two young ones were currently taking a shower; Cagalli with a rather fearsome look and Seren a hermetically sealed expression. And after they had finished, their hostess insisted on doing their hair and makeup.

"Well, as enjoyable as it is, it's also troublesome." Andrew admitted. The two men had finally sat down. However, Kira wasn't sure what he meant by 'troublesome'. "Of course it is! All because they found this thing, it created all this hope... this possibility... that people can go much further... The main reason this war got started."

Kisaka climbed down a jeep at the emplacement where he had left the three youngsters and looked around.

Aisha knocked on the door and opened. Cagalli hid behind her but the woman pushed her forward. The blonde young lady stumbled a little forward on her heels. She blushed, obviously flustered to be seen in such a girly appearance. Seren followed, no less (unusually and yet) stunnigly gorgeous. She was also embarassed for the same reason but was better at hiding it. Cagalli was in a simple A-line strapless princess cut dress. Its light green color toned down her fiery temperament. It was enhanced by a frill starting small at her right hip and going gown and growing in length to the left side of the hem. She also wore golden bracelets and a thick golden choker with a red stone. Green clips ornated her hair that had been put up.

Seren's V-neck spaghetti strapped sheath dress complimented her forms and gave her a more adult look. It was embellished by a draping starting at the tip of her V-neck and flowing all the way down. For her Aisha had chosen a peach color to warm and soften her current cold and sharp demeanor. Jade and gold double link bracelets were dangling at her writs. Her necklace was a lariat type with a thin gold chain passing through a circle and multiplying into three strands, falling like shooting stars and ending with four baroque pearls, a white one, a gold one, a peach one, and a pistachio green one. And indeed, the irregular lines of the baroque pearls had always appealed to the teen more than the perfectly smooth ones. She had the earrings from the set too. Her reddish chestnut brown hair had been brought up in a low and messy but still elegant bun held by a flower-shaped pin with peach and white pearls.

Kira's jaw dropped. How extraordinary... that THAT Seren and THAT Cagalli could truly be...

"...Girls?" He stammered, dumbfounded. Since both had never been ones to care much about appearances and feminity (they practically never wore skirts or dresses) and had such strong, blunt and unladylike personality and manners, that they could look so soft... tender? ... Delicate? ... Graceful? ...Feminine? Seren twitched, but Cagalli positively snapped.

"You bastard!" She menaced him with her fist, in such an unrefined pose.

"N-no! I was just trying to say that you reminded me that you're girls!" The boy stuttered while raising his hands in defence.

"That's the same thing!" The blonde one shot back.

"Boor who can't even compliment girls properly." The other lady made the trenchant comment in a deadpan manner as she turned her head like she was too disgusted to have anything to do with him. It was true that Seren had more than once stated her dislike of society's pressure on females that it made it sound as if they were appealing ONLY when they wore skirts or dresses and heels and they were sweet and genteel, and so that their life goal should be to appeal to men. However, women were women! It was only a matter of politeness to compliment them when they dressed up!

"Eh? Ah... I..." Kira exclaimed with the dejected face of a puppy being scolded. The exchange made the two adults burst out laughing. The three teens looked at them and hung their heads, embarrassed.

But even though there were many similarities between the two girls, there were also clear differences. Cagalli was just like a released bullet: raw violence, impulsive, explosive, arbitrary, unpremeditated, and simple- and single-mindedly going down its course, turned to the outside. While Seren was like a sword, calm, sharp, incisive, decisive, precise, all intent and control. Although not deceptive or manipulative at all, she was nonetheless very clever and cunning and acted from the inside, with jabs, psychological attacks. She knew how to provoque reactions, hurt people, make them think.

On the Archangel, Ramius couldn't believe what she was hearing. Kira, Cagalli and Seren had still not returned?! The news agitated the whole bridge. Kisaka confirmed. They were to meet at an agreed time but they didn't show up. He asked about Sahib and the others who were to deliver the goods to the ship but the captain answered they hadn't arrived yet either. Since the airwaves were jammed, it was difficult for Kisaka to get to get directly in contact with Sahib. He requested that once they arrived, they sent a few people back here. There were reports of a Blue Cosmos terrorist attack in the city. He would like to do a thorough search but didn't have any men for that. The captain instructed petty officer Pal to get in contact with Badgiruel for her. Sai climbed a few stairs and his hand tightened around the railing.

_Kira... Seren..._

The three youths were sitting on a couch with the blonde miss in the middle. Andrew praised the young women. Those dresses looked very good on them. Or more like it would appear they were quite accustomed to dressing like that. Indeed, the elegance and dignity of their manners and bearing seemed so natural and yet so unlike their usual selves...

"Say what you want." Cagalli bit back in her rude and manly way.

"Is that so?" Seren answered with polite but cold poise. Both had their eyes closed and were sipping their coffee in the same time.

"It would be perfect if you didn't talk." The man shrugged with a heavy sigh. "By the way, how's the coffee?"

"Whatever." The light haired one replied snappishly.

"I prefer tea." The dark haired one responded with the same tone as earlier. Waltfeld sighed again. Such inimical reactions...

"What about you, are you really the Desert Tiger?" Cagalli questioned.

"Why don't you ask your friend? I'm sure she could answer you. She didn't seem the least bit surprised when I took off my hat and sunglasses. I must say that was a bit dispiriting." He suggested, sounding slightly disappointed. He had expected and hoped for a good reaction from the dark haired little miss, something like the two others's... but nothing. Really, that girl was so uncute. The two who fixed their comrade with a surprised expression...

"Somehow it's hard to think of any other notable targets besides you for a Blue Cosmos attack like this one, here in Banadiya known to be your stronghold. And then, given your reactivity, how you ordered your men during the attack itself and how your subordinate called you 'commander'..." Seren answered like it was so obvious a child could have found the same conclusion.

"Really, so not cute. Then tell me, what do you think about that?" The ZAFT officer nodded towards his reproduction of Evidence 01. "I asked your escort earlier but I want to hear your opinion too. What do you think it is?" He stared at her face, looking for any emotion, anything to read. There was a long pause during which Seren intently looked at the object, lost in thought. Then she closed her eyes.

"I can't see much of a point in judging extraterrestrial entities by our own human standards... although I guess that's the only thing we can do. Concerning its role in this war... progress and evolution are necessary. That said, I don't think Coordinators are some sort of evoluted life form, or the sterility rate wouldn't be so important (and still increasing) among the third generation. Ambition is an integral part of human nature but it's also true that the nail that stands out is hammered down. The world was not ready for that yet. Before such a sudden change, before the unknown, it's natural to feel fear. And then you come to hate the other because it's so easy. On the other hand, it requires an enormous amount of time and courage to try to acknowledge, understand and accept each other. I feel that the war is escalating, that we are heading to our destruction, and to avoid that we must learn... from the past, from ourselves, from the others... Much blood has been spilt and more so will be, and overcoming that would also require an enormous amount of strength... or should I say tenacity? Willpower? But even if I'm mocked as a naïve and idealistic child, I want to believe it's possible."

"Humph, for that those guys would have to stop toying with and looking down on others. For instance, why are you making us wear dresses like this? Is this one of your fun hobbies?" Cagalli complained.

"Well, it was Aisha who selected those dresses... and what do you mean by my fun hobbies?" Andrew questioned.

"Disguising and playing around in the city, or having residents evacuate a town before burning it. That's what I mean."

"You have nice eyes... so straightforward... very nice eyes..."

"Don't mess with me!" The Resistance member snapped, standing up and slamming her hands on the table. Kira said her name warningly.

"Are you another one of those who would rather be dead?" The ZAFT commander inquired with a deep frown. "What about you? What do you think?" He turned towards the boy. "What do you think needs to be done to end this war... as a mobile suit pilot? And the same goes for you too." He looked at Seren. "There is another reason why you weren't surprised earlier... that was because you had already seen me through the sights of the Blast's sniper rifle, right?" He smirked knowingly. Kira and Cagalli gasped, shocked.

"Hey, how do you know?!" The blonde one demanded while the boy frowned and looked away, gritting his teeth, cursing his carelessness. The dark-haired girl kept a stone face. At this point, with those two who were so transparent at her side, there was no way the 'I don't know what you're talking about' excuse would work. They were in the heart of the enemy territory, without a single weapon, at the mercy of the enemy commander. Anyone in his situation would kill them or imprison them. But...

"Being too sincere can be a problem too." The Desert Tiger burst out laughing again. He stood up and walked to his left while Kira took Cagalli by the hand and made a few steps in the opposite direction... until he noticed his childhood friend still had not moved.

He swore innerly, grabbed her hand and dragged her out. Just what was it with her?! While he and Cagalli were as stressed as cornered prey, she was barely tense! Was she being overconfident? Could she not grasp the situation? That man was the enemy! Ready to spring into action, the boy was standing protectively in front of the blonde who was fearfully clinging to his back. Even if she could somehow defend herself, there was very little she could do right now... against a Coordinator and veteran soldier and given her current clothes too. Seren was also being troublesome. Well her problem was not so much that it was difficult to move when wearing a dress than she didn't seem to have any intention to fight back. She wasn't even on guard! So he made sure to keep her behind him too, and keep a firm grip on her hand.

"There are no points given or regulation time in a war... unlike sports. So how are winners and losers determined? At what point do we put an end to it?" Andrew Waltfed probed.

"...At what... point...?" Kira repeated slowly. He looked small, frightened, at a loss. This question had always existed somewhere in the childhood friends' minds. But while Ashford had been thinking about it since she had refused to board the shuttle of the Menelaos – and especially after she had learned about Flay and Kira, Yamato had always been too afraid to bring it up to his consciousness. Concentrating on the present was all he had been able to do. And it felt like that man was removing the wool from his eyes.

"...When every single enemy has been eliminated?" The adult aimed a gun at them. Kira and Cagalli gasped again.

Kisaka, Badgiruel and Tonomura were standing on the terrace where the Blue Cosmos attack had taken place. It was riddled with bullet holes. They looked around, and looked at each other. While in the Archangel, Sai was standing at the foot of the Strike. While at first intimidated, after a few seconds his eyes narrowed and he gritted his teeth.

Kira's eyes quickly scanned the room, obviously trying to find a way out, his mind racing, simulating different scenarios. Even now, Seren was keeping all her sang-froid and aplomb. She had already gone through all those and many more from the moment they had arrived up to the moment Aisha had been leading her and Cagalli to this room. They were entirely at this man's mercy. But despite that, and even though he had his gun pointed at them, even though her reason told her it was utter foly, she still couldn't feel scared, she couldn't feel danger from him, not now. And the more she'd stare at him, study him, the more certain she was. Surely, he could and would kill them, but not now. He did not want to.

"You'd be wise not to try anything stupid. Even if you're a berserker, you won't be able to force your way out of here. Your friend already knows it, which is why she's staying put. Being able to calmly assess the situation and keep her cool and all her cleverness in such circumstances... that type's the scariest one I'd say."

"Berserker?" The boy said again, forcing his childhood friend to move further back and closer to Cagalli. If that man considered Seren the most dangerous then the probability was high that he'd start by killing her.

"Everyone here is a Coordinator... just like you, and miss clever." The Tiger declared, shocking the blonde girl.

"Y-you guys..." She couldn't help but mutter.

"I saw you in battle on two occasions. Take your adjusments for pressure against desert surface, and heat convection parameters... I'd say you two are among the elite of us Coordinators."

Sai opened the cockpit and looked inside. He hesitated for a second, and went in. Seren and Kira weren't here. He had to do it. He had to know. Could he operate a gundam? Could he protect the ship? Could he protect the girl he loved? Would she come back to him? Sai fastened the belt, pushed a few buttons, and actived the Strike. The mechanical arms keeping it in place automatically withdrew, and the mobile suit moved. It broke the causeway and advanced, much to the machinists' shock.

"I'm not so laid back that I simply believed it when I was told the pilots were Naturals. In addition, the amazing way you two got us out of that jam earlier. I have no idea why you've decided to fight against your own people but as long as you're the pilots of those mobile suits, you and I are enemies." The ZAFT officer affirmed. Kira frowned deeply.

"If that is so, then let me ask you. You knew – or at least had some confidence – that we were the pilots when you approached us. Why didn't you kill us then? Why aren't you killing us now or capturing us? What is the point, what do you gain by talking to us, getting to know us more, even though we'll end up killing each other?" Seren questioned, her expression so serious, so expectant...

"So, I guess there's really no option but for one of us to disappear?" Andrew Watlfeld snorted derisively and raised his gun, having apparently changed his mind about killing them. Kira and Cagalli looked surprised but not the other girl since she had never really believed he would shoot. "Well, the fact is, you saved my life today, and this is not a battlefield." He put his gun back into the drawer that he closed. He pressed a button and Aisha entered. "I can't tell whether it was beneficial or not but I was still glad I had the chance to talk with you. You can go now." He sighed and closed his eyes. Kira took Cagalli by the shoulders and walked to the door, still dragging Seren by the hand. "See you on the battlefield." His parting word had a warning tone. The youths paused and glanced back at him. He had his back turned to them. They looked down sadly and walked away. But after a few steps, the dark haired girl stopped again.

"Waltfeld-san. if a path existed that would lead to peace between Naturals and Coordinators, would you take it?"

"My, that'd be quite a long and difficult path... well, if it existed..." He shrugged. She paid her respects, a small smile on her lips. "If you want to live, if you have something to protect, don't show mercy to the enemy!"

"That will be when I decide who the enemy is."

"Hey, what's going on?! The kids haven't returned yet, have they?!" Murdoch wondered as he and other mechanics were following the Strike on foot. Mu, Tolle, Milly and Flay also arrived. What was happening?! Just who was it in that?!

"Damn! Why!" Sai swore. Even as he was doing his best, the mobile suit would not move according to his will. He could barely make it walk properly, let alone make it do other movements, even the simplest ones.

"Hey! Stop, you fool! Who's in it?!" Murdoch yelled. Someone answered that he had noticed the guy called Sai wandering around just a moment ago.

"Why in the world..." La Flaga demanded. His teeth gritted, his sweat beading from the strain, despite all his efforts, Sai could not prevent the Strike from falling on his knees. Milly screamed. The boy just managed to partly break this fall with the robot's forearms. The chief mechanic held his face in his palm. In the cockpit, Sai had started sobbing and wailing in the darkness. His throat too constricted by grief and despair, unable to scream, he could only let out mournful sounds. But these sounds could pierce even a heart of stone. And Flay, even though she could not hear them, hung her head and ran away. She did not need to hear them. She knew.

She had chosen to live for revenge, completely dedicate herself to it and accomplish it by whatever means necessary. Even though he loved her, and he still was so important to her, she could not respond to his feelings. She had to be with Kira. Sai couldn't help her, so he should just forget about her... and about these feelings that only brought him pain!

_Idiot! _She cried in her mind as tears streamed down her face.

* * *

If there are no coincidences, did this meeting also happen for a reason? Is there a meaning to our pain? There were things we didn't want to know, questions that needed answers. It isn't simple to determine the 'outcome' of battle. Inside our frightened hearts, the dwelling sadness piles up like ashes. People with hearts are pitiable. Even when we are side by side, it unnecessarily worsens our loneliness.


	19. Wishes and doubts

**Phase-19: Wishes and doubts**

"Wait! Seren!" Kira yelled as he chased his childhood friend down the hallway. He had been blaming her for her nonchalance at the Desert Tiger's place and her apparent inability to sense danger even as a gun was pointed towards her. Since the previous day he had often tried to talk to her, well, scold her and reason with her. And she had been completely ignoring him. She knew what he wanted to say and she felt it was a waste of time to debate with him. The way he was now, he could not understand her. And her arguments would fall on deaf ears. But this time he was really persistent. It didn't seem like he would back down unless she properly listened to him. He pursued her to her room. "I said wait!" He grabbed her shoulder. She twisted his arm behind his back just like he had done Sai a few days earlier. He glanced back at her cold, irritated, yet pained gaze as she looked down on him. His eyes widened as the images overlapped in his mind.

"You're the one who can never read people's real intentions. Not that man's, not even the ones of those close to you. Don't you know me better than that? Of course I'd have acted differently had I felt our lives were in danger. But it was obvious he just wanted to play and talk. Don't get so easily deceived by appearances. People who should be your enemies may not really be. Even if they're pointing a gun at you, that doesn't mean they actually want to kill you. Athrun's like this, right? And people who appear to care and may in fact be saying just what you want to hear while they're sucking your blood dry. But it's not like you'll listen since I was never affectionate, I never said I would protect you, and I never cared about your feelings, right? So you don't need to protect me, and you don't need to care. After all, I'm a Coordinator, just like him, and all Coordinators are enemies who must be killed, aren't they?" She shoved him away. She sighed and closed her eyes before shaping her hand like a gun and pointing it at his chest. She approached until they touched. "I can't consider that guy an enemy, just like Athrun, and Lacus Clyne. To me, he's just like La Flaga, the captain, Tolle or Milly. Even though one of us will soon have to die... He's a commander, so I don't think we'll have a choice. But Athrun... if you kill Athrun I'll never be able to forgive you. I don't want to hate you this much so I'll protect him, even if that means fighting you. In that case, will you try to kill me too?" Seren slowly forced him backwards, towards the door.

And before the intensity of her implacable and unforgiving amber eyes, her dry words piercing him like arrows, he felt himself going weak, overcome with fear, misery, desperation. The boy pictured himself in the Strike, shooting at the Blast, destroying it like he had destroyed all those GINNs and BuCUEs... and his heart, his mind, completely breaking as a result. And he imagined Athrun's reaction. He tried to breathe, say a word, make a sound but nothing came out. It seemed his chest was being pressed by a clamp.

"I know what happened was partly my fault too. I know what Flay went through, what you're doing for her. That's why I also want to make amends and protect you guys. I also agree we must defend ourselves. But if you keep wagging your tail before that woman like this and decide one day to exterminate every Coordinator like she wants you to, then I'll stop you no matter what, even if I have to defect back to Orb, or go over to ZAFT." She made him pass the door. "Flay admitted being a sympathizer of Blue Cosmos. I didn't forget her words, her tone, her expression when she yelled at Lacus, and when she yelled at us. I didn't forget all we went through because of her. And I didn't forget what happened to my mother, Athrun's mother, and our families because of people like her." And the girl closed the door on him.

Kira staggered backwards. His back lightly hit the wall. He too was remembering that time when Flay lashed at them for having been unable to save her father... and he was remembering the time when Seren had told him and Athrun about her mother. And how she had been when they had met her. It had taken weeks for them to wrest a smile from her, and months before they could drag her out of her shell to some extent and somehow start being nice with people other than them. And concealed within her heart of stone, they had discovered her heart of gold. He held his face in his hand. Her look now was similar to the one she had back then, when she didn't consider him a friend on whom she could rely and she stared at the world with cold sharp and skeptical eyes, as if constantly evaluating others. She no longer smiled at him or teased him. Her warmth and gentleness had also vanished from their interactions reduced to a minimum. To her, he had been reduced to something like a stranger. The only change in her expression was when she'd evoke Athrun. How could things have come down to that? When did it happen?

In one of the PLANTs Athrun drove a car to the Clyne mansion. There was a bouquet of pink flowers lying on the passenger seat. He stopped before the gate, and showed his ID card to the monitor.

"Identification number: 285002. Athrun Zala of the Le Creuset Team. I have an appointement with Miss Lacus." He presented himself. His identity was confirmed and he was allowed in. The gate opened and he drove inside the propriety. He parked his car and the butler welcomed him at the door and closed it behind him. Lacus greeted him with a smile and walked down the wooden stairs. The boy apologised for being a little late but she didn't seem to have noticed. With her came down a flock of haros that swarmed excitedly around the new comer. Athrun offered her the bouquet. She was quite pleased. When he asked what was with all those haros she answered they were just welcoming the guest. She invited him in. However, even in the hallway, Athrun had to constantly dodge the little robots that hopped even at face level.

"But don't you think they're a bit of a nuisance?" He inquired awkwardly. He had been the one to make them and give them to her but to think they would be so noisy and invasive...

"They're more excited than usual because it's you." The idol replied, once again assuming robots could actually have feelings. "It has been a long time since you've come after all."

"I apologize." The soldier said. Even though they were fiancés, since he was almost always away on a mission and he was busy even when he would return, they practically never had time to see each other. They crossed the house. The back yard consisted of a small rose garden against the building and then larges patches of neatly mowed grass cut by white paths. There was also a gazebo with white pillars, a white table and white chairs, and beyond that a wooden bench overlooking the lake. Lacus called Okapi – a dog-like robot – and put the flowers on its back. She said to bring the bouquet to Alice-san and ask her to prepare tea. Okapi returned inside the house. She looked at Athrun who smiled back awkwardly. The girl chuckled and decided to save him from the Haros' annoyingly affectionate harrassment. She called Navy-chan (the navy blue haro) 'who' jumped in her hands.

Once they were sitting at the table outside and their tea was served, she pressed a button, producing three colored marker pens. She took the white.

"Why don't we make it a mustache today?" She wondered as she drew a mustache on Navy-chan. Then she released and declared that the one with the mustache was 'it'. 'It' hopped away, chased by all the other haros. Athrun sighed, relieved. Some calm at last. And he apologised for not having been able to return in time for the memorial service. "It's alright. I prayed for your mother on your behalf."

"Thank you very much."

"I heard that you were back and I was looking forward to the possibility of seeing you this time. Will you be able to remain here for a while this time?"

"I can't be sure. My schedule for time off is never fixed."

"I understand that there has been an increase in people entering the military lately. A number of my friends have also volunteered to be soldiers." Lacus deplored as she crumbled a biscuit and little blue birds came to peck at the crumbs. "I feel that this war just keeps growing."

"Actually, you may be right about that." The boy said just as sadly.

"By the way, I wonder how Kira-sama and Seren-sama have been doing lately. Have you seen them since then?" The stongstress inquired, suddenly sounding joyful. Athrun remembered when he had fought those two on Earth's orbit, and they had fallen onto the blue planet along with Dearka and Yzak who kept shooting at them.

"I believe they're on Earth. I expect they're doing fine." He looked down with mixed feelings.

"Have you been friends since you were little?"

"Yes, we have. Since we were about four or five years old. We lived on the moon then, until there were signs that a war would break out. During that time I did as my father told me and went ahead to the PLANTs. I had heard that they would be coming later." Senator Zala's son gritted his teeth in obvious anguish as he recalled those falling cherry blossoms and his goodbyes to Kira and Seren on the moon.

"When I told them about Haro, they told me that you hadn't changed. They smiled happily. Kira-sama told me you made his Torii and seemed to be taking very good care of it."

"He still has it?" Athrun was genuinely surprised.

"Yes. I saw him a number of times with it on his shoulder."

"Is that so." The soldier looked down pensively.

"I... like him." The girl affirmed softly, her eyes in the distance. Athrun sharply raised his head in stupefaction. The birds flew away. She turned back to him and beamed again. "It was the same for Seren-sama, you know. You made her Chacha, didn't you? It often stood on her head or shoulder or popped up from her hair or clothes. She did threaten to dismantle it but she was just pretending to give herself airs. She was definitely looking at it like at a most precious treasure... Did I tell you that she asked me to watch over you?"

"Yes, you did."

"She really cares a lot about you."

"I... see."

"But I have a feeling it's different from the way she cares about Kira-sama." The idol giggled.

"Eh?" Athrun's heart skipped a bit. He did not know how to take that, in what sense they differed, what were exactly Seren's feelings for him? And for Kira? Should he be happy or not? Was Lacus even right? He was very agitated.

"I am not suggesting taking over Earth, nor am I recommending that we prolong this war. But now that things are moving the way they are, it is clear that we must also take measures to cope with the situation. First, the betrayal by Heliopolis, a part of Orb, who had declared a neutral stance, and the incident with Miss Lacus..." With the election of the new Chairman of the PLANTs Supreme Council approaching (a little more than a month away), Patrick Zala, who was contending for the seat, was multiplying speeches and public appearances. However, the current Chairman, Siegel Clyne, was still very popular. And so, to gain support, Senator Zala had to demonstrate that his rival's moderate stance no longer applied due to the recent shameful actions of the Earth inhabitants. He had to make a make a break but not too clean or too strong, just skillfully exacerbate the ressentiment of his compatriots against the unjustness of the situation and the low attempts of the Earth Alliance to one-sidedly escalate the war. Morever, his position as Chairman of the National Defense Committee gave his words even more weight. Thus he could easily rally people of formerly moderate views like Yuri Amalfi, father of Blitz pilot Nicol Amalfi, representative of Maius City and fellow member of the National Defense Committee and Supreme Council member. "You tell me that we should believe them and continue discussions with them. However, after what they've done, it's impossible to trust them!"

"He has a point." Yuri agreed. He and his son were watching the TV at their home as he was getting ready for another session of the Council. Nicol agreed. "What Zala says is correct. I have trouble understanding Clyne who's against it. That machine you're piloting... the Blitz, right? I reviewed the intel on its structure and I can't help but feel a sense of crisis." The man walked away. As a mechanical engineer, he was all the more attuned to such things. He walked away. His son turned off the TV with a word and followed him to the door where his gentle and beautiful mother Romina was waiting and informing her husband that the car was already there. "Operation Spitbreak... we must get it approved quickly no matter what! Just as Zala says, we cannot afford to have to have this war drag on forever."

"Commander Le Creuset was saying the same thing." Nicol added with a smile.

"If approved, I assume you'll be going into battle again. I'm sorry."

"I-it's allright."

"I'm very proud of you. Do whatever you wish while you're at home." The Supreme Council member put a kind hand on his son's shoulder. His beloved son who despite his gentle soul, because of it, had showed his strength and chosen to fight, to risk his life in battle, for his kindred, for their freedom, for justice, for their independence... And even though he loved his son so much, his actions would cause that son to go risk his life again, and of course increase the possibilities of him being injured... or dying. But it was all to end this war as soon as possible. Letting him do as he wished at home was the least, no, the only thing he could do for him.

"Yes." The boy smiled again. Romina went with her husband to see him off downstairs. The teen heaved a sigh, went to the piano room and sat on the chair before the instrument. He lifted the lid protecting the keyboard and started playing. That was the only moment when he could truly relax. His mother returned and smiled as she heard the piano.

His father had left for the council. Eileen Canaver of the moderate faction, friend and ally of Siegel Clyne, greeted radical Ezalia Joule upon her arrival. They represented respectively September City and Martius city. While Canaver's speciality was information science and handled the Diplomatic Committee, Joule specialised in aero-space engineering and was part of the National Defense Committee along with Amalfi and Zala and shared the same views as them concerning the war. Along with agricultural engineer Louise Leitner, representative of Junius City who naturally became a radical after what happened to Junius 7, they were the only three women out of the twelve members of the Supreme Council.

Alone in a meeting room, Patrick Zala was again watching the footage of the Strike and Blast battling the Aegis and the three other units. Siegel Clyne, who had just entered, asked him whether he had to repeat the same points over and over again.

"All I want to do is provide accurate information."

"Or information that you carefully selected to make your point? The case you have presented, Operation Spitbreak, should be approved today. Public opinion favors you. There's no longer any means to stop it."

"We're taking steps according to the general consensus, Siegel. Please do not forget that."

"By spreading the war, you also increase hatred! How far do you people intend to go?!"

"We must work to quickly bring this war to an end so that it doesn't happen. There's no point in having a war unless you end it with a victory." The two stared at each other before Zala ended the footage. The screen turned black. "We Coordinators are a completely different life form. There's no reason to coexist with Naturals." He affirmed with a scornful smile.

"How can you call us a new life form when we may be nearing the end of our road? Even with regulated marriage, our third generation's rate of birth has continued to decline!"

"Our road to this point has by no means been an easy one. We should be able to overcome any obstacle as we have done until now. As long as we put our minds to it..."

"Patrick! Lives are born into this world! Not manufactured!" Clyne slammed his hands on the table.

"You must understand that such concepts and value systems are grossly outdated! People will continue to progress, always searching for a better tomorrow!"

"But does that necessarily lead to happiness?!" The current chairman of the Supreme Council argued. It was then that they received a communication. Zala's presence was requested at the assembly hall.

"It is the general consensus, Chairman Clyne, Your Excellency." Patrick repeated. "We can no longer throw away the power we currently hold and turn back on our evolutionary path, back to being Naturals." He left the room. The Chairman curled his fists in frustration.

"We did not evolve, Patrick." But his peer could no longer hear him. And even if he could, words could no longer reach him.

And so, the conference of the Supreme Council began. Each case would be submitted to a vote after thorough discussion between the members. And so, they started with the enforcement of the Operation Spitbreak. After a few murmurs, Zala stood up.

A man tossed about in his bed under the blanket. He was uttering painful sounds. Besides him was a cellphone while on the nightstand there was a flask full of capsules and a white half face mask. The man fell on the floor and took the flask with a trembling hand. He swallowed a pill and kept shivering under the blanket. He cursed. The symptoms started subsiding. The phone rang.

"Le Creuset here." He answered. On the other side of the line was His Excellency Committee Chairman Zala. The council was still in session but the case had been approved. Although there were still two or three cases to review, the senator wanted to meet the commander once it was over to discuss the details, perhaps later tonight. Le Creuset agreed.

"If we get serious, Earth is nothing...right?" Patrick chuckled contemptuously. Rau hung up and whimpered again in pain. Even if he could display exceptional self-control in public-related circumstances, what he was suffering from could not be so easily stopped. He crawled on the ground and clenched his fist.

"Go ahead and be conceited while you can, Patrick Zala." The blonde man smirked despite the pain.

At the Clyne residence, Athrun was getting ready to leave. He had spent all the afternoon talking and strolling with Lacus but now the sun was setting. It was time. Lacus was sad though. She had been hoping to have him over for dinner. Once the council was adjourned, her father would return. He also wanted to talk to Athrun. The boy apologised. He had a number of things to take care of because it was not so often he could come back here.

"Is that so? Then I guess it cannot be helped." The songstress hung her head.

"I-if I have the time I will be sure to visit you again!" The pilot stammered, unable to allow himself to make his fiancée have such a dejected expression.

"Really?! Then I shall be waiting for you." Lacus instantly brightened up. The soldier froze and looked down, regretting his words. He did not want to give her a false hope. But... he had to shape up. They were fiancés. He straightened up, walked to her and leant in a little. The songstress understood, slightly leant in too and closed her eyes. Athrun smiled faintly, a little red, and leant further. But right before his lips touched her cheek, he stopped, recalling how years ago he had held a certain girl in his arms, kissed her cheek and promised to remain her friend forever. He recalled how they had met again in Heliopolis as he had tried to kill her, how they had fought many times after because she kept refusing to return to him...

_"She's always pampered Kira, followed him, taking care of him...!"_

_"Did you want her to turn to you more often, to follow you and take care of you?"_

_"When I told Seren-sama that we were fiancés, she hugged me very tightly, and she asked me, she begged me to take care of you, to be your ally no matter what."_ He remembered how he had frozen at those words..._"And she... was trembling."_ And how he had sharply turned his head to her, his eyes wide, just as the door closed... He had stared at the closed door for a time, his fists tightened, and he had left.

_"She really cares a lot about you... But I have a feeling it's different from the way she cares about Kira-sama."_

Lacus stepped back a little.

"You... also have someone you care about a lot, in a different way than the way you care about me, don't you?" Her smile was so gentle and understanding. Athrun's eyes widened before looking away in pain. She had seen through him again.

But as he drove back, what were on Athrun's mind were his memories of the explosion of Junius 7 he had watched on a large screen on the street. Junius 7 where his mother had died... He had hoped to never experience that feeling again. That was why he had entered the army and graduated among the top... to be able to protect what was precious to him, so he wouldn't lose anyone else... But... then... his two treasured friends he had left on the moon and that he had found again in Heliopolis as mobile suit pilots on the enemy side... and that he had fought... even though they were still alive, had he already lost them? Even though they were still so important to each other despite everything that had happened, would he have no choice but to snuff out their lives... with his own hands?

_Damn...! Is it really not possible after all?! Kira! Seren! _

Kuzzey was carrying a tray with a glass of water and a small loaf of French bread with Kira right behind him and Flay sneakily following them. The two guys stopped before a door and Kuzzey told Kira to hide behind the wall when he would open the door as it would be best if Sai didn't see him. It would be bad if THAT Sai snapped again. The Coordinator appeared hurt for a second but understood and did as told. Kuzzey passed a card and typed a code and the door opened.

"Eh? Seren, what are you doing here?!"

"What? Is it bad? Can't I visit a friend? Even though it must so hard to stay one week like this?" Seren replied testily, sitting cross-legged on the floor. She had felt guilty. It might have been the captain's order for her to accompany Kira and Cagalli on shopping, surely in hope that the change would allow the teens to reconcile but she should have convinced her to least let her stay here for safety. Then this would have never happened. And she had wanted to apologise. However, she also knew of the reasons beyond that.

_"If I got serious in a fight, you'd have no chance against me." _ If he could pilot a mobile suit like Kira, maybe Flay would return to him. What an idiot... And Seren felt guilty and helpless for having been unable to prevent things from becoming like this. But what could she have done? And even now, what could she do?

"I didn't say that, but..." Kuzzey defended himself. Sai calmed Seren down like he had always done and sincerely, gratefully thanked her for her visit. Pacified, the girl agreed to leave. She stood up. Sai also thanked Kuzzey for the meal. He had to stay for a week in this isolation cell, with just a blanket, a pillow, and those measly meals, so he could properly reflect on what he had done. It was a rule and he understood it perfectly. He was going to be alright. Seren passed the door and saw Kira. She looked at him for a second and left. Her fellow Coordinator hung his head and curled his fists, misery etched onto his face. Those scornful amber eyes just now... 'don't you go having a pang of conscience now after all that you did to him'... he knew that already! But... then, when he lifted his head to watch his childhood friend's retreating back, he saw Flay hiding as Seren passed by, completely ignoring her. The boy frowned deeper.

"This area is full of caves from abandoned mines." Sahib informed the three commissioned officers of the Archangel. They were back at the Resistance headquarters and he was showing them a spot on the map. "And this place has landmines that we set." He pointed at a triangle inside a handmade circle. "If we're going to use any place for a battlefield, it would be here. The enemy is probably thinking the same thing and it would be a waste not to put our landmines to use."

"Are you really alright with that?" La Flaga questioned, his arms crossed. "Putting us aside, considering how you're equipped... you can expect considerable casualties..."

"If we did as the Tiger says and worked for them I'm sure we'd indeed be promised a peaceful life... like in Banadiya." The leader of the guerrilla admitted. "In fact, a number of the women have asked us to consider it." He said as little laughing kids chased each other in the tunnels... and a troubled mother chased after them. All the villagers from Tassil had been evacuated here. "But a ruler's methods are capricious. How many hundreds of years do you think our families suffered because of that. We will not be ruled. And we will not rule. That's all we ask for. If we could take back the mining area in the east that the Tiger took over, that wish could come true..." Sahib heaved a sigh. "We'll just be taking advantage of your power for our own purpose. That makes us even, right? No need to worry about us." He explained. And so, with that, Mu had no choice but to agree. He asked for the captain's confirmation who gladly accepted the Resistance's cooperation with this plan to get past the Lesseps. Sahib nodded.

In the Archangel's hangar, Cagalli was demonstrating her skills at the skygrasper simulator. Behind her stood Milly, Kuzzey and Neumann and she was also watched by other crewmen. As the three voiced their amazement after she had shot yet another GINN, Tolle arrived, wondering what this was all about.

"Look, Tolle! This girl's awesome!" His girlfriend hailed him.

"Indeed, that's really good." Neumann agreed. "Cagalli-chan... was it? Do you have actual experience in aerial combat?" He inquired. Cagalli-chan chuckled embarrassedly in response before getting shot. Time was up. She was ranked 1st with an SSS rank. The others whistled in admiration.

"I think I was hit twice." She closed her eyes with a slightly smug expression.

"But that was awesome! I was shot down as soon as I entered the battlefield!" Kuzzey praised. And it had been the same for Miriallia.

"What? What? You've all already tried this?" Tolle asked, jealous to have been the only one left out.

"You guys are too pathetic for soldiers." Cagalli commented without any ill-intent. "You've never used a gun, have you? You're gonna get yourselves killed. We're fighting a war, you know. A war." She walked away. The Archangel's pilot concurred with her.

"Humph, what about it? Having used a gun is nothing to brag about." Milly retorted. However she had forgotten something.

"But having never used one despite a soldier is nothing to brag about either." Neumann argued. Milly and Kuzzey looked down. That was right. They were no longer students or civilians but soldiers. It was then that Tolle, completely unfazed, begged to be allowed to try the skygrasper simulator too. He had such a radiant expression though that his superior felt compelled to remind him that this was not a game.

"Yes, I understand, sir!" The boy saluted. "I shall consider it training and take the lessons seriously, sir!"

"Alright then! If you get shot down, no dinner tonight!"

"Eeeeh?!"

"It'll be fine, do your best..." Kuzzey reassured him as everyone laughed. But during that time, Cagalli had approached a real skygrasper and was staring at it with a smile, her arms crossed. A mechanic barred her way. She was forbidden to get onto a real one! And like a sulking child, she replied that she knew it already.

Kira was lying on his bed, in the dark, his eyes open, his arms behind his head and his legs crossed. Torii was hopping onto him, back on the bed, back on him, back on the bed. Flay entered. The Strike's pilot sat up. The girl lit the room and complained. What was he doing in the dark? He took a long time before answering.

"What was it, earlier? You were there, where sai is, weren't you?" He asked glumly. Flay paused, before going to sit next to him and leaning on him.

"Sai's such a fool."

"Huh?"

"There's no way he can compete against you. He's such a fool."

"F-Flay?" He looked at her, his eyes wide, before averting his face.

_"But you know, the power to fight you just flaunted, it comes from your genes, from the mere fact that you're a Coordinator, and not from you. Being able to win a fight against a love rival, is that really the most important? If I beat Flay in a fight, would you go out with me instead? If I defeat you, would it necessarily mean I am right and you're wrong? That's not it, right?"_

"Kira? Kira, what's wrong?" The young woman asked worriedly. Kira scooted away from her. Somehow... being with her now, like this... was painful. Like that... was not his place... "It's alright Kira. I'm here for you..." She said softly and lasciviously as she kissed him, made him fall back on the bed and climbed on top of him. Their fingers intertwined, she tried to pin him down but he struggled, told her to stop and pushed her away. "Kira..." The girl uttered his name again distraught by such a clear rejection. The Coordinator had stood up, his hands curled into fists.

_"Conversely, scorning Sai's sincere feelings, showing no remorse after what you've done... This... is nothing short of a betrayal! Were both of your feelings straight and genuine, I wouldn't say anything, but Kira, you're only looking for an escape to your pain and because of the guilt you feel towards her and Flay's only looking for a tool to enact her revenge against all Coordinators, ZAFT who's attacking, and us who couldn't protect."_

_"Liars! You said it was gonna be alright! You said "It'll be okay since we're going too."! Why didn't you protect papa's ship?! Why didn't you kill them all?!"_

_"Because you two are Coordinators too... you weren't fighting seriously, were you?!"_

_"That's right, we are Coordinators. And my mother was killed by the Blue Cosmos. We were just walking in the street when people shot us, and my mother protected me with her body. She took 27 shots, 27! Why? Just because her parents had decided to give her more chances of survival than a human born naturally."_

_"Flay admitted being a sympathizer of Blue Cosmos. I didn't forget her words, her tone, her expression when she yelled at Lacus, and when she yelled at us. I didn't forget all we went through because of her. And I didn't forget what happened to my mother, Athrun's mother, and our families because of people like her."_

Kira apologized and ran away. Flay cried his name again but could not hold him back. He turned corner and stayed there, in this dark hallway where he leant his back against the wall and slid down. He hugged his knees and started sobbing. In his cell, Sai had still not touched his bread or water...

PLANTs... a deserted parking lot safe for a black limousine, and inside, Rau Le Creuset and Patrick Zala were sitting on the back seats, their arms crossed. The council member told the officer that he was counting on him for the real Operation Spitbreak.

"There's no doubt that you will be selected to succeed Clyne at the upcoming election as the next Chairman, Your Excellency. I will make certain that there are no slipups in the preparations." The Commander declared. Zala nodded.

Kira stood before the mobile suits. He was holding his head, obviously troubled, when he saw Seren coming out of the Blast and coming down. She yawned, still half asleep, but then she saw him and looked so sad, so exhausted. And again, she passed him by without a word. He caught her wrist and stopped her and looked more carefully. Since when have her features appeared so drawn out? Her hair and skin had lost their luster. And she had also lost weight. Her maroon locks were a little matted. Since when have her eyes been so cold and so sharp? And that redness? But if he looked deeper, there was also sadness, and a crushing loneliness. And seeing her like that, before he noticed, he did all he could do.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." He apologised and slowly, almost fearfully, took her in his arms. Seren had always been there for him. She had always defended him, supported him, protected him, cared for him, even more so after what happened at Heliopolis, even though she had been suffering as much as he did, she had always given him priority, even though he should have been the one to protect her and support her... She understood him better than anyone because they shared the same pain and loneliness of having to fight their own kind, of having to fight Athrun, and the same hopes of peace between Coordinators and Naturals. Flay had hurt him in the past, and she had hurt Seren too. And yet he was with Flay now, even though he knew she wanted him to annihilate all Coordinators. It was natural that Seren be worried about him. She had always been so strong and reliable, just like Athrun. And just like Athrun, she was growing apart from him. No, ever since he started going out with Flay, he was the one who had ceased to look at her. It was his fault. Even if that was only said as last resort, he even made her have those thoughts...

_"I'll protect him, even if that means fighting you. In that case, will you try to kill me too?"_

_"If you keep wagging your tail before that woman like this and decide one day to exterminate every Coordinator like she wants you to, then I'll stop you no matter what, even if I have to defect back to Orb, or go over to ZAFT."_

But after all he couldn't let it happen. For all these years, they have had this special bond. She was the one who understood him the most. So even if he was not sure he could do something about Athrun, then at least Seren. He liked her just like she liked him. He needed her by his side. The thought of her leaving, he could not bear it. He was scared, he was lonely, he was lost, confused. She was the only one who truly understood him...

"If Flay sees us like this, she might go nuts and try to kill me." Seren remarked icily. It might have been an exaggeration, but both knew that Flay could easily be driven to extremes. And Kira was deeply stung, as if he had touched dry ice and got burned. Seren had changed. Or would it be more correct to say he had changed her? Back then, she would have never said something like this to him or employed that tone with him. She would have never dismissed him like this while he was in this state. He squeezed her tighter, as tightly as he could. It felt as if he was trying to keep water from slipping away.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... but..." He apologised repeatedly again and started crying.

"You're really a moron." The girl voiced softly. She let him hug her and made no move to break away although she could not hug him back. Not that long ago, she would have held him back and cried with him... but even though she wished she still could, she was no longer able to, because she was no longer the same person as before. But although her eyes were completely dry, the sorrow they tightly and carefully kept locked in seemed even greater than before.

Athrun returned home and took a drink from the fridge. He stopped before a large cork board where were pinned a number of photos. Some were of his family but most were of his fellow ZAFT soldiers and friends, a few of those had died at Heliopolis. At the center, there were two photos. One with him, Kira, and Seren, where she was hugging them from behind, her elbows on their shoulders and her hands ruffling their hair. They were on the grass, with a calm little stream flowing behind them. And there was another photo, with just Seren and him. Both had open books on their lap but she was sleeping against his shoulder, and his younger self was fondly gazing at her sleeping face with a smile. And such a caring and tender smile it was. Before he got this picture, he had no idea he could make such an expression when looking at her. His hands caressed the two images. He remembered that time when Kira and Seren had handed Lacus back to him.

_"Then it can't be helped. The next time we battle, I will shoot you!"_ He had affirmed with strength and sorrow.

_"The same goes for me!"_ Kira had replied with the same grief and determination. But Seren had kept quiet and turned her back and gone inside the Blast.

An expression of intense pain crossed Athrun's features, then he closed his eyes and walked into his room.

* * *

Standing at a crossroad, we wonder whether our chosen road of thorns is right, or a mistake. People are foolish beings who only realize things when it's too late. The pain of losing something precious, we didn't want to know anymore of it. And still, once again, we had lost something. Where did it go, that scenery where we laughed together? Is it truly impossible to go against this flow?


	20. The fangs of the Enemy

**Phase-20: The fangs of the Enemy**

Banadiya – ZAFT transport aircrafts were unloading TFA-2 ZuOOTs in prevision of the battle against the Archangel and in place of the BuCUEs previously destroyed. The mass-produced ZuOOT was designed for long range ground attacks and were heavily armed with shell firing weapons, which consisted of two shoulder mounted 2-barrel cannons, four chest mounted vulcan guns, a 2-barrel secondary cannon mounted on the left arm, and if necessary, a heavy assault machine gun could be carried in its hand. It was able to transform into a tank mode, allowing it to move on catepillar treads, granting it greater stability while firing and the ability to speed across the land. However, due to the its poor mobility and close combat capability, it was mainly used as a movable gun turret to provide fire support for frontline MS. It was also sometimes positioned on the outer decks of land battleships to serve as extra gun turrets. Which was why it was unsuited for the desert battles the Tiger was waging which demanded high mobility. Hence, his complaints to his subordinate...

"What it is with the guys at Gibraltar? Why are they handing us ZuOOts?" The commander lightly threw the note he was holding on the table before him. He was annoyed. "Are they out of BuCUEs?"

"Well, they say that they can't provide us with anymore of those." DaCosta answered. "Perhaps they think they're making up for it by sending us those two." He frowned a little.

"With experience limited to battle in space, I can't help thinking they'll only get in our way." The officer voiced their thoughts.

"Their team is considered one of the elites." The aide pondered while the Duel and Buster were also being unloaded.

"Hell, I don't like the fact that they're from the Le Creuset Team. I hate that guy." Waltfeld spoke like a child.

Yzak and Dearka were standing on the Lesseps' deck, along with their mobile suits, when the transport crafts took off, causing a strong and burning wind full of annoying sand to blow on the two young Coordinators who had to shield themselves. Dearka complained about the place. Well, as Andrew Waltfeld pointed out (and as was widely known by everyone living or having lived in such areas) "you don't know the desert until you've experienced it". He welcomed them on the Lesseps and introduced himself. He was of course accompanied by Martin DaCosta. The youths saluted and introduced themselves too. And after the greetings, the commander immediately evoked a sensitive subject without caution, hesitation or (apparently) consideration.

"When a combattant leaves a scar that could be surgically removed, I believe he leaves it as a symbol of a promise he made to himself." He commented, clearly referring to the scar on Yzak's face. The boy averted his eyes. "Looking away after hearing those words implies that this symbol reminds you of a humiliating experience, perhaps?" Well, he seemed to have a habit of provoking people, and especially youngters to test their reactions and learn more about them thanks to his apparent knack for finding sore spots and weaknesses.

"More importantly, what about the Legged Ship?!"

"That ship is currently about 180 km southeast of here at a resistance base. We sent an unmanned scout plane here. Want to see the photos?" Then the Tiger turned to the Duel and Buster. "I see. They're both the same type of machine. They look a lot like those two."

"Commander Waltfeld, I heard that you have already battled the Alliance's mobile suits." Dearka inquired. The officer confirmed. He was recalling how the Blast had almost shot him during the first attack he had ordered against them, how he had barely escaped with his life when they had come to the Resistance's aid, and he remembered their conversations at his home. And of course he did not say a word about the last one, and nothing showed on his face. But he good-heartedly admitted not having fared any better than the Le Creuset Team.

At the resistance's base, everyone was scurrying over and getting ready for the departure. Ammunitions and other important stuff were being loaded and the fighters were saying goodbye to their families. They all knew that exceedingly few of them would return. But the men had taken their decision. They just wanted their freedom, their independence. Kisaka stopped and looked at Cagalli who was being held back by Afhmed's mother. The elder woman gave her something of obviously significant sentimental value, judging from their expressions. The Archangel was unbound and its engines started. And under the grave and anxious watch of the women and children, the tiny army departed. Cagalli was staring at a green stone in her hand. Kisaka asked what it was.

"It's something Afhmed was planning to process and give me someday. His mother just gave it to me."

"A rough stone of malachite. It's big." The man commented. The teen tightly squeezed it as she remembered when Afhmed had expired in her arms. She gritted her teeth.

_"Are you another one of those who would rather be dead?"_ ... _"You have nice eyes... so straightforward... very nice eyes..."_

"And by that happy-go-lucky bastard too..." Her eyes narrowed in unforgiving and unappeasable fury.

Waltfeld, DaCosta and the two elite pilots entered the control room of the Lesseps. They had been notified that the Legged Ship and the Resistance had made a move. They approached the small monitor. A subordinate confirmed. The enemy was advancing in the north-northwest direction. A dozen jeeps were leading the Archangel. So they were heading for the remains of the Talbadiya factory district. The officer acknowledged that in the enemy commander's shoes and wanted to get past here, he would have done the same. He had been hoping they'd wait a little longer but it couldn't be helped. The Lesseps was taking off, code 0-2. He also ordered that a message be sent to the Petrie and the Henry Carter.

The pilots had gathered at the cafeteria of the Archangel. Seren was silently ingesting the nutriments. The distance had increased again between her and her fellow mobile suit operator. While she was still cordial to everyone, her relations with others had become strictly professional. She no longer got close to anyone, (except – maybe – Miriallia, Tolle, and Cagalli) no longer had fun or anything. But even though Milly and Tolle, because they were worried, wanted to do something, they didn't know what to say. And the two Lieutenant Commanders too, felt concerned and had tried to talk to her but with not a single result. She did her job properly. She had enough sleep and food too so she could do that job. So there was no problem, right? She was functioning properly. 'Functioning'... right, she was acting just like a cog in a machine. And soldiers were exactly that, cogs in a machine, right? They kept quiet and did their part and everything was fine. And she was doing her part so perfectly that there was nothing they could really say... but somehow... they didn't like how cold she had become... that wasn't how a teenager should act... it was still much better when her oddity was causing problems, at least she was a bit cheerful, as much as she could be in her circumstances...

Kira was picking at his food. He had not stopped sighing since that meeting with the Tiger. La Flaga chided him for taking so long to eat – and for eating so little – and gave him a kebab, telling him to eat that too. The boy tried to refuse it but was being so timid that his complaint (that he couldn't even form in its entirety) was completely ignored. Mu himself was savoring a kebab (his second one). Nothing could beat local food after all.

"Shousa, haven't you had enough to eat?" The Strike's pilot questioned.

"We're on our way to battle. Unless we eat, we won't get any strength, right? Here, it's great with yogurt sauce." The officer handed him a white bottle. Kira gasped, remembering his encouter with Andrew Waltfeld on that terrasse.

"No, it's just that the Tiger said the same thing." He said before his senior's quizzical expression. "That it's great with yogurt sauce."

"Hmm... sounds like a man with taste." Mu commented appreciatively. "But it's better not to know too much about the enemy. Try to forget it. Knowing about a man you're about to fight with for your life just makes the battle more difficult." He advised. The Coordinators looked down. The girl had stopped moving. Athrun... the more they knew the enemy, the more they understood him, the more they liked him... and the harder it was to fight to the death with him. "Right, Seren?" La Flaga looked at her for support... because regardless of her issues and idiosyncracies, she still prioritized logic and reason, even when it didn't seem like it. Since it was a battle they could not avoid, at least, they should avoid the emotional pain. That was self-evident. She had been a bit extreme about it but that was why she had been acting like that all this time, right?

"You're probably right." Seren agreed. "However... I cannot speak for Kira or anyone else for that matter, but after all I don't think I should avert my eyes from the truth anymore than this. That isn't me. I want to know more. I must know more. Even though I don't want to, because I have no choice, I will kill and kill and keep killing in order to protect what I have decided to protect. But I must not forget the ones I've killed and will kill, because their families, their friends won't forget me. I'm still alive, and I'll keep living. So the pain of the things I can and can't see, while remembering each one, I want to take them all. Because I feel that's the only way for me to remain human and to grow as such..."

"Seren..." Geez, she had got them again. She was really hard to predict after all. Although Mu couldn't tell what had been her feelings when she had faced the Tiger, something must have happened. She had wavered and hesitated a lot. And even though she still didn't seem entirely sure of herself, the men could keely feel her determination. But still, for such a child to take such a burden upon herself... he couldn't say he felt great about it... It was then they heard the deafening sound of an explosion. Everyone bolted upright. Had the battle started? Were they under attack?

"It's in the direction of the resistance landmine source!" Natarle yelled in the CIC. The jeeps had all stopped, and their occupants were all staring, horrified, at the burning land and the black smoke. The zone was so large it almost completely obscured their view. But more importantly... all those landmines, in an instant... how to fight now? The guerilleros were starting to panic but Sahib got them to snap back. It was not like THEY had been attacked (although that would be the case soon). It looked like the Tiger was finally directing his fangs at them for real this time. Cagalli frowned deeply and gritted her teeth. Accompanying the Lesseps-class battleship Lesseps was the Petrie-class land cruiser Petrie that ordered its Scorpion Team to send out all crafts. Inside the Lesseps, DaCosta asked about the Henry Carter, the second Petrie-class ship assigned as their escort. It was proceeding to the predetermined location. There was no indication that the enemy had perceived its presence.

The three pilots of the Archangel had changed into their pilot suits. La Flaga was barking orders at the intercom and seemed rather aggravated by the slow-wittedness of his interlocutors...

"Launcher of the first machine, and Sword on the second machine! Why you ask... because it's faster to change planes than to re-equip one!" He ended the communication with a heavy sigh and turned to the two youngsters. "I hate to say this... but frankly, we can't rely on the battle power of the Resistance." He was grateful for their feelings but such things could never make up for the gap in military strength. The Coordinators agreed. "You two give it your best shot too. Well, seeing how you guys fight lately I wouldn't worry much. It's also a test to your resolution, Seren." He walked towards the door. The teens nodded.

"Ah, hum... what is a berserker? Do you know?" Kira asked the mobile armor pilot.

"It's a myth about crazed warriors, right?"

"Crazed warriors?"

"Yes. They're normally gentle and well-behaved, but in battle they get excited, and become stronger, as if becoming different people." The adult explained. The Strike's operator recoiled in shock. The memories of his body surfaced. Somehow, he knew what he meant. And so did Seren, although nothing showed on her face. The boy looked down, his teeth clenched. La Flaga asked what it was about, all of a sudden. Kira apologized since it was 'nothing important'. On the speaker, Miriallia required the pilots to board their machines as they were taking too much time. The teens left first.

The radar detected shadows believed to be enemy machines but Tonomura and Buskirk could not confirm their numbers due to heavy disturbances. They were approaching from one-thirty. And two large heat sources were detected behind them in the same direction, assumed to be enemy command ship and escort! Ramius ordered to enter anti-air, anti-ship, and anti-mobile suit battle and commence counterattack. Badgiruel instructed the Strike, Blast and skygrasper to launch. Sahib motivated his troops. Cagalli looked especially eager to fight. La Flaga's unit took off with the Strike's launcher pack. On the catapult, the Strike equipped the Aile pack. Murdoch asked whether it was really alright like this. But against BuCUEs, mobility was more important than firepower. Seren chose the Blast Off pack which possessed the highest versatility and to which the beam boomerangs were added. They launched.

As soon as they got out, helicopters shot at them. The EA pilots blocked with their shields and took them down with their igelstellungs. The Strike landed and was instantly surrounded while the Blast remained in the sky and was given chase by another swarm. While maneuvering and dodging most missiles and bullets (although she still got hit) Seren took altitude to observe the battlefield and relay all information to the Strike and the Archangel. There were six BuCUEs, a Lesseps-class ship, a Petrie-class ship, two ZuOOTs on each ship and about twenty combat helicopters! After she finished her report, the Blast flipped, dodging more shots, and sent her cluster bombs which got two crafts and damaged a third she finished with her rifle. Some of those helicopters had gone directly after the Archangel. One was shot down by the ship's defense but another fired a missile that hit the vessel below the bridge. Seren went to protect the Archangel and shot down the helicopter that hit the ship with her rifle and destroyed another with her Vulcan gun. She sent a boomerang, sinking two more, and caught it back. The Lesseps fired its dual cannons. One shot fell on the sand but another struck one of the Ashitsuki's leg. La Flaga cursed and took down two other helicopters threatening the Archangel.

"Valiants! Fire!" Natarle yelled. The 110cm linear cannons fired.

"We'll go around the right, Ferid!" Sahib ordered. Several jeeps swerved to the right. The Strike evaded the projectiles of a BuCUE's railgun.

Andrew was standing at the foot of his TMF/A-803 LaGOWE along with his lover and gunner Aisha. Both were in their pilot suits, ready to board. The woman had tied up her hair so it wouldn't get in the way. It was actually Andrew's skill at piloting the LaGOWE that had earned him in good part the nickname Desert Tiger, and so his suit and helmet were customized to ressemble a tiger. The LaGOWE had been developped as successor to the mass-produced TMF/A-802 BuCUE from which it had inherited the four legs and caterpillar treads for easy and nimble movements at high speed on difficult terrains such as sandy deserts or snowy fields. The LaGOWE might be larger than the BuCUE but it was more maneuverable thanks to its redesigned legs and additional thrusters on the wings and back. The sensor system had also been enhanced by the enlarged antennas on the sides and head. The cockpit had been modified to a two-seater to accommodate pilot and gunner. Just like the BuCUE, the LaGOWE had a double-edged beam saber (of a slightly different design) in its mouth. However, instead of missile launchers or railguns, the back turret was equipped with powerful beam cannons. This unit also possessed newly introdruced claws on its feets capable or piercing and ripping normal armor to increase the close combat abilities. As it was such a high performance machine, it was mainly assigned to commanders. The couple's discussion was interrupted by Yzak and Dearka. The silver-haired boy had come to complain about the given orders. Why were he and his friend to be positioned atop the Lesseps?!

"Oh my, does the Le Creuset Team let soldiers object to orders given by their superiors?" The rebuke sounded light but the latent disapproval was still quite clear and sharp and strong to the ears.

"No, however..." Yzak recoiled at first before charging again. "We have more experience battling against them, so..."

"... losing experience, right?" Aisha teased. Joule glared at her. Andy said her name warningly but still sweetly. The woman apologized.

"Your machines are made for artillery battles. You can't keep up with the high-speed battles of the BuCUEs, can you?" The Commander explained with a defiant smirk. The scarred boy tried to protest again but his friend stopped him. They had been given orders! Dearka saluted and apologized. Yzak saluted too (still scowling) and the teens left. The blonde soldier confidently reassured his fellow red suit. Soon, when it would turn into a confused battle, they were going to have many opportunities. Joule smugly smiled back. "I don't believe that kid. That sort of childish behavior... not everybody can do that, but he'll be in for a rude awakening if he tries that again..." The adults boarded their machine. The hatch opened. "I'm leaving the ship into your care, DaCosta-kun."

"Yes, sir!"

"Andrew Waltfeld, LaGOWE, taking off!" The ZAFT unit leapt and landed onto the sand in tank mode.

"Gottfried! Valiant! Fire!" Badgiruel shouted. The beam and linear cannons discharged. The Resistance shot their RPG to little results. Just as a vehicle was going to be smashed the Strike landed heavily on the BuCUE and shot it down at point blank range. Kira turned to see Seren quickly dispatching the three others. She threw her schwert gewehr lanze in the ground right before one, the quadruped bisecting itself as it moved. And as the two others charged at her from the back, she stabbed them with her blinkenschlag, made a back flip with a half twist when then passed her, and when she landed she swung her arms really wide and slammed them against each other sending electricity in the same time. She withdrew the wires and recuperated her sword. And as the two Coordinators and Earth Alliance pilots eliminated their enemies and fellow Coordinators with terrifying speed and efficiency, the words of a man they acknowledged and respected, a man with whom they had formed a bond and with whom they could have certainly become close comrades, his words etched onto their hearts burned painfully.

_"So how are the winners and losers determined? At what point do we put an end to it? When every single enemy has been destroyed?" _And he had pointed a gun at them. Andrew Waltfeld, the enemy commander. He had asked the questions they had always avoided because they were scared. They didn't know the answer and they were also scared of knowing. Would they have no choice but to keep killing until no one was left? Even now, they were still holding onto a faint hope that it wouldn't be the case.

Before, in Heliopolis, there were times when Seren had pondered it, like one of those great philosophical interrogations... but then ZAFT had attacked and she had boarded the Blast, and its sense of reality and urgency had hit her first hand. And even though she was aware that it was an issue she would have to tackle sooner or later, it had grown so searing hot she had been unable to approach it... until she had turned down the chance to board the Menelaos' shuttle. She thought she had grasped onto something; but after all it didn't seem to be the case. She had started thinking again. But no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't find a way out of this vicious cycle. Even though Kira and Seren were still persevering, right now, they only felt as if there were walking into darkness and despair. They shook their heads. Now was not the time to think about such things.

But after all, Seren couldn't shake off a bad feeling concerning Andrew Waltfeld. Something was off. The Tiger was a renowned tactician. He had certainly taken Kira's and her skills into consideration, and deduced that regardless of the difference in numbers, this type of frontal attack was too lacking to deal a proper blow... so... so... she cursed and clicked her tongue. And as on the bridge Sai was reporting the rise of the intensity of the ECM and ECCM by 17%, and Pal the rise of the temperature of the Vulcan cannons to dangerous levels due to overuse, Seren contacted them as well as the Strike and skygrasper to warn them of the exceedingly high probability of an attack from the back by another Petrie-class ship.

Given the direness of the situation, the Lieutenant Junior Grade asked for permission to use the Lohengrin. If Seren was right - and from their experience (and after having talked to her friends and other crew members) the officers had developped a certain confidence in her ability to discern the flow of a battle – they had to finish things as soon as possible so they wouldn't get caught in a pincer's attack. The captain refused though as the contamination factor to Earth's surface was too great. They should use the charge cycle and make do with the Valiant's output. Natarle insisted but Ramius wouldn't hear any of it. It was an order! The vice-captain rogered that. The resistance shot a helicopter and in retaliation a missile fell on a jeep. Cagalli cried the names of her deceased comrades and narrowly avoided being shot down herself. She swore and aimed. La Flaga sank another aircraft and fired at one of the Petrie's ZuOOTs with the Agni. The beam was so powerful though that it not only destroyed the mobile suit but also pierced through the ship's wing.

"Engines hit! Velocity dropping 50%!" A soldier reported on the Petrie's bridge.

"Put out the fire! Quick! Go hide behind the debris!" The captain shouted.

The Blast arrived and with the Lanze shot the second ZuOOT along with the cannons behind it. She evaded most of the ship's missiles but one still hit her. Having watched the scene from the bridge of the Lesseps, DaCosta commented about the terrifying power of the skygrasper's cannon and the Blast's strategic and precision shooting before telling his men to hang in there. The Henry Carter would be soon into position. Seren shot the Petrie's forward cannon just as the Henry Carter attacked the Archangel from behind and a missile hit the ship. The girl swore. She had been too late, or the enemy had been too quick. She had hoped to do some damage to the Lesseps before looking for that other ship... She veered and rocketed through the battlefield. Kira had also noticed the predicament of the Archangel and tried to fall back to defend it when the LaGOWE engaged him in combat.

"I'm your opponent, strange pilot-kun!" The Tiger declared with a smirk. Kira gritted his teeth. The Henry Carter shot continuously.

"Shot fired by main cannon, headed straight for us!" Tonomura reported.

"Avoid it!" Ramius yelled.

"Shoot it down!" Badgiruel shouted. But Seren had to defend against this second land cruiser's double cannons mounted on the side and could not keep the shots from the main cannon from hitting the Archangel twice. The impact forced the EA vessel to run aground the mining factory complex. Ashford and La Flaga cursed. Kisaka stopped the jeep close by.

"The Archangel!" Cagalli exclaimed.

"At this rate it's going to be a sitting duck...!" Her guardian concured. The blonde teen jumped down and ran in the vessel's direction, completely ignoring her custodian screaming her names or the shells falling and exploding around them.

The Strike blocked the beams of his new foe, avoided being slammed down by this unit and shot at it with the rifle. The quadruped skillfully glided away and his behind a rock. This wasn't a BuCUE... then the Commander's machine?! That man was in it?! The LaGOWE reappared and once more, the boy blocked its beams with his shield.

"I see, he's good." Aisha commented.

"Right? He's fighting with a cool head today but he was even more unbelievable the other day..."

"But while we're fighting that skilled boy on the ground, that girl is really doing a number on our forces."

"It can't be helped since her machine possesses a mobility pack that allows her to move so well in the atmosphere." The Tiger replied. "But unlike that kid, it feels like she's taken things up a notch again. Geez... giving such a weapon to someone as fearsome as her both as a fighter and tactician should be against the rules... well, that's only if rules existed in wars... The only way against that type is to isolate her, reduce her movements and pound her down through sheer force, numbers and experience... though you have to be prepared for a significant amount of casualties...or even better, to use her soft-heartedness against her..." Suddenly using weapons she rarely used before, her accuracy, anticipation and fighting sense had also increased considerably... she was becoming accustomed to the battlefield, to war... Really, such a scary growth rate... However those kids were still too soft hearted, when it came to ships, to leaders, they still lacked the firmness and resolve to give the finishing blow.

"Why do you seem so happy?" The woman questioned. Her companion and superior looked down, his cheerful expression having melted into a suffering one. "This is tough on you, isn't it, Andy? You're really fond of children like them."

"You think he'll surrender?" He asked even though he already knew the answer. He was obviously refering to Kira. They had to focus back on the opponent at hand.

"No." Aisha fired. The boy blocked and evaded again. He leapt in the air and shot. The LaGOWE jumped too and dodged the beams and knocked the Strike down. Kira screamed but activated his thrusters in time to recover. However, the power of his mobile suit was reaching a critical level.

"Helldarts! Corinthos! Fire!" Natarle ordered. The projectiles were detonated by the Lesseps's defensive armaments as well as the Duel and Buster whose presence was confirmed atop the deck of the enemy ship.

"Thrusters full power! Ascend!" The captain commanded. "Can't you determine the Gottfrieds's line of fire?"

"I'm doing it! But the ship is caught on something, and...!" Neumann retorted just as a missile hit the ship, making it shake. Seren had caught two surviving helicopters with her blinkenschlag and threw them down, using them to intercept hits from the Lesseps's direction and she had shot other missiles down with her Vulcan gun and igelstellung but it seems one had still passed through. And she wouldn't use her cluster bombs so close to she ship. However, in the hangar, Murdoch was shocked to see Cagalli coming in, running to the second skygrasper and climbing onto it.

"How can you afford to let a plane just sit here?! I'm taking it!" She started the engine and closed the canopy. The craft hovered. "Move back if you don't wanna be blown away! Open the hatch!" She barked. The chief mechanic grumbled loudly about kids these days (who always took stuff out without permission - like Kira and Seren who had taken their gundams and freed the prisoner Lacus Clyne, or Sai who had tried to pilot the Strike when the two Coordinators had gone missing) but nonetheless still told the guys to open the hatch. And he also warned Cagalli that he'd never forgive her if she got shot down. The blonde warrior took off.

"Skygrasper Two has been launched!" Miriallia reported.

"What?!" Natarle exclaimed, stunned.

"Hey! Who's piloting the second craft?!" La Flaga demanded angrily.

"I'm told the pilot is Cagalli-san!" Milly answered to the general surprise.

Mu, Cagalli and Seren shot the Henry Carter. ZAFT's situation was getting more difficult. DaCosta relayed the troubling news of the enemy's second support craft to his commander. The Duel and Buster were having a hard time with the all too high dissipation effect of their beams. Fighting in the atmosphere was so different from fighting in space. Yzak became unable to handle it and just sit there and he jumped down. However, Kira too was having problems against his opponent. Especially since both he and Waltfeld were aware that the Strike would soon run out of power. The Duel walked up a dune with the ease and grace of a toddler walking up an icy slope... and slid down the same. Its pilot complained about the footing.

The Blast shot the left cannons of the Henry Carter. Then Cagalli sliced the main and right cannons with the sword of the Striker pack but got grazed by one of the ship's missiles and had to do an emergency landing. Noticing that the Lesseps had come dangerously close to the Archangel, Seren decided to finish the Henry Carter by shooting the bridge. But then the Buster, trying to destroy the Ashitsuki, involuntarily freed it instead. The ship ascended.

"Starboard 60°! Natarle!" Murrue bellowed.

"Aim Gottfried!" Natarle yelled. The ZAFT commander cursed the Legged Ship for being still alive after all those attacks. The Archangel fired. The Buster dodged but the beams destroyed the ZuOOT and turret behind it. Dearka landed behind the Lesseps.

"Hey, hey... This isn't what I expected from the Desert Tiger!" He exclaimed until his unit sagged into the sand. From her place of landing, Cagalli observed the battle. She was perfectly fine. Kisaka joined her.

Kira managed to cut one of the LaGOWE's legs with his beam saber. Aisha reminded Andy to stay calm or they'd lose the battle. The LaGOWE fired at the Strike that tried to retaliate, only to have its rifle shot down. Kira shielded himself from the explosion and slashed the charging beast with a beam saber. The boy had cut one of the beam cannons but its mouth saber, the quadruped had got one of the Strike's red wings. The severed cannon detonated.

With her Lanze, Seren sliced through the Petrie's other wing, completely forcing it to a halt. The explosions had also damaged the missile launchers. She went on to the Lesseps and shot the remaining ZuOOT and turret and a wing. She had just slashed the missile launchers and was rising again when she was attacked by Buster whose beam destroyed her rifle. The Buster's missiles hit her body but she protects against the next beam with her shield, recuperating the lost energy as her power level was getting dangerously low. The Blast lunged, shot with the Schwert Gewher Lanze, desintegrated one of the X103's arms and sliced the other at the shoulder with a beam saber before going straight at the Duel that fired at her with its rifle. However, the Svalinn Shield absorbed the energy, although the Blast was as a result grazed by the shiva railgun. Seren's style, which had been very cautious – if not timid – when she had begun piloting, was now closer to controlled recklessness. Yzak threw missiles but she detonated them by creating a wall of sand with her thrusters like Kira had done in one of his recent battles. The girl suddenly flew through the smoke, turned and kicked the Duel and, with a slash, cut through its shoulder joint and railgun.

The Archangel's Valiant fired and hit the Lesseps's flank. Jeeps from the Resistence were trying to finish off the Buster and Duel but their RPGs couldn't damage their phase-shift armor and the two X-series couldn't harm them either after having had their arms torn off by the Blast. All they could do was waddle on the ground like a flightless bird and play sitting duck for those ants. How humiliating...

"Section 4, 8 and 9 blown off! Sections 3 and 7 seriously damaged! Fires reported! Engines and vibration motors are down!" A ZAFT soldier announced on the Lesseps's bridge. DaCosta swore. Smoke was coming out of the ship in multiple areas. Waltfeld told him to give the orders to retreat. The battle's outcome was clear. They should gather the remaining soldiers, retreat to Banadiya and get in touch with Gibraltar once they got there. DaCosta tried to protest but the commander cut the communication there.

"You too, Aisha, get out of here."

"I'd rather die than do that."

"You're just as foolish as I am." Andy smiled resignedly.

"Say whatever you wish." Aisha replied with a smile.

"Then stay with me!" The cornered Tiger roared in determination. And seeing as he had no intention of moving back along with his troops, Kira cried his name.

"Waltfeld-san!"

"I'm not done, youngster!"

"Stop this, please! The outcome is already decided! Please surrender!" The boy pleaded, along with Seren who was quickly flying towards them. The ZAFT mobile suit cut another of the Strike's wings in response.

"I thought I told you! There are no clear rules to end a war!"

"Waltfeld-san!" Kira and Seren insisted. It was then the Strike ran out of power. His beam weapon and phase-shift armor disappeared. There was a small explosion caused a short circuit at the stump of the LaGOWE's leg from which smoke was rising. Aisha yelped.

"There's no choice but to fight... as long as we are enemies! Until one of us is destroyed!" The ZAFT commander bellowed as he lunged. The seed exploded in Kira's mind. He threw his shield away, took his combat knife and charged. Seren yelled at them, begging them to stop, in vain. The two collided. Kira planted his combat knife in the LaGOWE's back but the impact from the quadrupedal machine's momentum hurled him away. The Blast arrived just in time to catch the Strike in midair and helped it land. The LaGOWE collapsed.

"Andy!" Aisha cried as she unfastened her belt and ran back to him. Andrew bolted and caught her in his arms. They hugged tightly. The sparks around the knife caused the whole machine to explode. The childhood friends watched on. Seren hit the side of her cockpit and grinded her teeth. Once more, she and Kira had tasted the now familiar bitterness of tears and helplessness. But then she heard Kira yell.

"I... I... I NEVER WANTED TO KILL HIM!" And that heart-wrenching cry reminded her of the time she had cornered and threatened Kira concerning Athrun and Flay... She had threatened to fight him, to go over to ZAFT, she had asked if he would kill her... Someone she didn't want to die had been killed... by Kira. But Kira didn't want to kill him either. Certainly, as long as he didn't lose that heart, things would be fine, even if it was so painful. And after all, Seren didn't want to lose him either. She had to protect him, and she was the only one who could do that. The girl opened her cockpit, removed her helmet, and looked at the Strike. Noticing that, Kira did the same. He had seen the tears on her face, and her unbelievably soft and sad expression. She sighed.

"You've killed again when you didn't want to. Kira is the hero who will kill all the bad guys. He must kill Coordinators despite being a Coordinator himself. He must fight and suffer endlessly until he dies... because if he doesn't, we're the ones who'll get killed." She voiced monotonously.

"I'm in no mood for your gibes now." The boy looked away, irritated by her apparent insensitivity.

"But is that really the only way?" The Blast's pilot went on, unfazed. "Even if we do that, those that were lost won't come back, our sins, far from disappearing, will only crush us. Hatred and suffering will spread until no one's left."

"You think I don't know that?! I know even without you telling me! I'm not such an idiot! But it can't be helped, right?! If you know know another way then please tell me!" He snapped.

"Kira, I've been thinking for a while. And I've thought more again after meeting Lacus Clyne and Andrew Waltfeld." She joined him and hugged him, surprising him. "Kira, I love you. You've always been like a little brother to me. And I love Athrun too. I love you two so much. It's because you two were there that I didn't become a hateful person. That's why as I've told you already I don't want either of you killing the other. I wouldn't be able to forgive either of you, even though I love you so much. But it isn't just you guys. There are Naturals who don't hate Coordinators, and Coordinators who don't hate Naturals. If we could just stop them from killing each other then that many lives would be spared and their loved ones wouldn't have to suffer and hate and want revenge. You know it too, right? War is just a cycle of revenge. It's much easier to lose yourself in revenge than to endure. That's why I want to become strong. Strong enough to win without having to kill, strong enough not to kill even though I desperately want to, strong enough to save all those who can be saved. I know that saving everyone will be impossible... but that is still the path I want to walk, the path of peace between Coordinators and Naturals."

"Those are just pretty words aren't they? You can't do anything if you're alone. The war won't stop even if we fight."

"I know. That's why I'll keep fighting until I find the way. We think too much, that's why we despair. And that's a no go. So I want to try to believe in this fool's hope that there will be other people as stupid as me to think the same and agree to fight alongside us, because, Kira, I know you're the same." The girl stared at him without a slightest shred of doubt.

* * *

The hearts we thought we had left behind ache violently in our chests. Voices that we cannot forget echo in our ears. How long until this cruel, accelerating reality breaks us? Just like being swallowed by a large whirlpool, we can't see the way out of this spinning spiral. The passion that we firmly suppress is the prelude to understanding... because even the things we should protect aren't decided.


	21. Waves of unrest

**Phase-21: Waves of unrest**

March 3rd. The Archangel left the dunes, sailed into a large chasm and out into the sea.

"It's the Red Sea." Neumann, the pilot, announced with a smile and a touch of excitation. There were exclamations of joy and amazement from Tolle and Kuzzey (who were the youngest and best placed to see the outside from the bridge) notably when dolphins started jumping and clicking before and alongside the ship, as if welcoming them. Everyone was smiling though.

"I will permit people to take turns on the deck, for a short time. Please relay the message to everyone on board." This suggestion from the captain delighted everyone, but again, those who showed it the most were the former Heliopolis students.

"Chief Murdoch, how are the sonar preparations doing?" Lieutenant LG Badgiruel asked sternly as she adjusted her cap. She was the only one to remain as cool as ice. It was kind of disheartening but it was also good that at least one person could remain level-headed and keep the others in check.

"We're working on it right now." Murdoch answered. "The kids are making the final adjustements, please wait a little longer." Kira was typing on a laptop and Seren on one of the ship's panel.

"Hurry! And one other thing: I'd think twice about calling a superior officer 'kid'. It's something that could disrupt order. Be careful."

The chief held his head embarrassedly. He had been scolded by the lady. Mu who was also there, smiled compassionately. His all too laid-back behavior had also caused Natarle to chide him a number of times. Chandra and Tonomura snickered openly without any qualms. The mechanic relayed the order to the kids. Kids who complained (meekly or irritatedly) that it was easy for her to say that. That thing had been made by ZAFT. It was not going to connect that easily.

While in Kira's room, in the dark, Flay was playing with her hair clip... with a rather stressed and annoyed expression...

Just three days ago after the victory against the Tiger... the Resistance had made another camp and was celebrating along with the Archangel's crew. Many were already completely drunk. The guerrilla leader and the three commissioned officers of the Earth Alliance were in a room. Sahib was toasting to a new Desert Dawn, Murrue to a future won over. They tapped glasses and drank. Natarle soon started coughing from the strong alcohol. Sahib looked at her with an air saying 'poor lass can't hold her booze'... unlike Ramius who was still gulping down. She stopped and exhaled with a delighted expression and she and Sahib started laughing heartily. She really liked her drink.

"But things won't be easy for you. Although the Tiger's gone, it's not as if ZAFT's no longer around. They want the mines, right? The force could be here soon." La Flaga was (for once) the one who kept cool and returned to serious matters.

"Should that happen... we'll fight! We'll continue fighting!" Ashman took a RPG. "Against anyone who tries to oppress us." It was then his son arrived with a message from the village chief who wanted everyone to pray for the warriors who would never return.

Except for the man firing the mortar and the elderly helping themselves on their cane, everyone had their hands joined in a prayer. They had their eyes closed. The chief was reciting the names of all those who had fallen. The crew of the Archangel was staying from a distance at the back. They were not close enough to partake in the memorial service but they watched respectfully. Natarle saluted.

""Keep fighting"... huh?" Mu repeated. Flay, who had been sitting on a box with a bowl in hand had momentarily stopped eating. Next to her, Kira was standing and leaning against the wall, his arms crossed. Seren was alone at the top of the cliff, lying down, her feet dangling, her arms behind her head, watching the stars.

And the day after that... Cagalli kept pestering the officers of the Archangel to take her with them...

"That's why I'm telling you to take me with you! I'm better informed than you of the present situation! And I'll help you if you have supply problems!" She declared proudly and confidently.

"But..." The captain tried to protest. She looked rather disconcerted.

"Of course, I'm not saying I'll stick with you all the way to Alaska. And I have no intention of joining the Earth forces. But you could use my help, couldn't you?"

"YOUR help?" Mu raised his head from his palm, clearly wondering what sort of help she could offer that they couldn't get themselves.

"Ah... well... that's... I mean... general help in different areas!" The blonde girl stuttered, obviously troubled. Kisaka sighed. He had been sticking close and carrying things. Cagalli was so spontaneous she never seemed to think before speaking. Well, she was definitely hiding a few things but she was definitely not a bad person. Her headstrong side, as well as her understanding and yet lack of consideration for hierarchy and status somehow reminded them of Seren. But unlike Cagalli who just blabbered without thinking, Seren actually thought but still chose to say whatever she wanted regardless of anything and anyone.

"Even if you say 'help'..." Ramius cupped her chin, a little distressed by such an unreasonable demand. Sahib was there too. La Flaga stood up and approached.

"A goddess... eh?" He said. The teen glared at him.

"Anyway, I'm going with you aboard the Archangel! I've already decided!" She glared insistently at Kisaka this time and left. Sometimes she really sounded and acted like a damn willful (but still very loveable) brat. Or maybe a princess? Mu turned to the girl's guardian and asked about her true identity. But the man just stayed quiet and smiled resignedly. However, Seren had also listened to the conversation, and it had left her with many things to ponder... Cagalli certainly seemed to be getting ahead of herself but even so, where did that confidence come from? Her way of deciding stuff on her own and expecting things to go her way as typical from certain people, her reason for being at Heliopolis, for calling her father a traitor when she saw the gundams, the deference with which she was treated by some people, the carefulness they used to hide her identity (although she was the most careless one)... and the reason why she felt so familiar to Seren. Her hazy memories were clearing. Pieces were starting to fit together. Now she would have to do some research...

And now a dozen crew members had gone up on the deck, including Tolle, Milly and Kuzzey. They had all loosened or taken off their jacket. Some were stretching, Tolle even ran around a little as he had not seen the Earthian sea in a long time. The salty air, the iodic smell, the freshness, the sprays, the beautiful and soothing blue of the sky and sea, the cries of the seagulls... it was so relaxing...

"But after all, this feels kinda strange." Kuzzey commented pensively.

"Oh, right, it's your first time at sea, isn't it, Kuzzey?" Tolle remembered. Buskirk nodded. "You were born on Heliopolis, right?"

"I was surprised by the desert but I find this a lot scarier. The deeper parts are really deep, right?" The communications operator asked timidly. Koenig assented.

"There may be monsters..." Miriallia taunted her friend with a scary expression. Kuzzey recoiled fearfully. Her boyfriend told her not to tease him.

"But how pathetic of the Earth forces." Kisaka remarked. The flying fish had replaced the dolphins. "They tell you to get to Alaska on your own and don't even help you with your supplies... I'm sure you can manage as far as food and water are concerned but it would be wise to avoid battles as much as possible." Indeed, ammunition couldn't just be obtained anywhere. The captain heaved a sigh. However, Natarle was of the opinion that getting across the middle of the Indian Ocean was going to be difficult. Should something happen, they would have nowhere to run. "ZAFT is not trying to increase their territory. They would have the least presence in the middle of the ocean. The rest depends on luck."

And now, on March the 9th... From the Red Sea, the Archangel had passed the Horn of Africa and sailed south east. They were now in the open sea but not too far from India and Sri Lanka. Kira opened the door to the aft deck. He was alone, his jacket flung on his shoulder. He sat down and looked at the sky. But he was remembering his meeting and conversations with Andrew Waltfeld... about the sauces, about the winged whale, about how the winners and losers should be determined in a war... was it only when one side was utterly annihilated? And he remembered his last words as they were fighting for their lives...

_"It's not over, youngster! There's no choice but to fight! As long as we're enemies! Until one of us is destroyed!"_ He remembered what Mu had said about berserkers being usually gentle but growing excited, stronger during battle as if becoming someone different. He crossed his arms on his knees and rested his forehead on his arms. He ground his teeth in agony and frustration. And then there was Seren...

_"Much blood has been spilt and more so will be, and overcoming that would also require an enormous amount of strength... or should I say tenacity? Willpower? But even if I'm mocked as a naïve and idealistic child, I want to believe it's possible."_

How the hell could that be possible if people just keep killing and being killed?!

_"Even though I don't want to, because I have no choice, I will kill and kill and keep killing in order to protect what I have decided to protect. But I must not forget the ones I've killed and will kill, because their families, their friends won't forget me. I'm still alive, and I'll keep living. So the pain of the things I can and can't see, while remembering each one, I want to take them all. Because I feel that's the only way for me to remain human and to grow as such..."_

You may be right... if we both know pain, we should reach understanding and stop making each other suffer... but that's just a theory! It may prevent us from turning into cold-blooded war machines... but just how are we supposed to bear all that weight?!

_"That's why I want to become strong. Strong enough to win without having to kill, strong enough not to kill even though I desperately want to, strong enough to save all those who can be saved. I know that saving everyone will be impossible... but that is still the path I want to walk, the path of peace between Coordinators and Naturals."_

_"Those are just pretty words aren't they? You can't do anything if you're alone. The war won't stop even if we fight."_

_"I know. That's why I'll keep fighting until I find the way. We think too much, that's why we despair. And that's a no go. So I want to try to believe in this fool's hope that there will be other people as stupid as me to think the same and agree to fight alongside us, because, Kira, I know you're the same." _ And she had said that with such confidence too... just where did that come from?! No, she was right, she was right but... there was no way he could just up and believe her! That people could just side with her, with them, that there could be peace... just how long would they have to keep on fighting? How many people would they have to kill? But unless they fought... unless they destroyed, everyone would... it was because they hadn't destroyed the enemy, they couldn't stop them from destroying the Montgomery... and Flay's father...

_"Because you two are Coordinators too... you weren't fighting seriously, were you?!"_ Flay had lashed out venomously. He had caused all the grief and hatred that had distorted her heart! And because he had not destroyed the enemy earlier, he had been unable to save Elle-chan and all the refugees from Heliopolis. He looked up. Instead of the explosion, there was the deck and the sea.

_"That's why I want to become strong. Strong enough to win without having to kill, strong enough not to kill even though I desperately want to, strong enough to save all those who can be saved."_ Could they really achieve that strength she was talking about? They couldn't! It was impossible! But certainly, if it was her, she would still desperately try to do it... beginning with him and Athrun... Athrun... And while he was holding his head, whimpering, sobbing, Cagalli arrived, surprised to see him here. She greeted him but he stood up without answering. She walked up to his side.

"Have you been crying?" She noticed, concerned. Kira tried to escape but she caught his wrist and held him back. He glared back at her. The girl sighed and let go. The Coordinator was going to leave again when she suddenly hugged him, shocking him.

"H-hey, w-what..." He stuttered.

"It's alright." She patted his back. "Everything's fine. Everything will be just fine. It's alright. It's alright." She comforted Kira who calmed down. However, they were suddenly interrupted by Seren who had just opened the door. They instantly pulled away, blushing, and started stammering. The new comer observed them for a time with a blank expression (but carefully) before sighing.

"What are you two freaking out for? Kira was weeping and getting all depressed in a corner as usual and Cagalli came, surprised him, and comforted him, right?" Seren deduced like it was self-evident.

"T-that's right! I just couldn't ignore a child who's been crying, now could I?" Cagalli defended herself. Kira looked away, a little miffed that his childhood friend had yet again seen right through him. But... she seemed to have gone back to how she was before... or maybe not? She had grown... stronger, more resolute, but... there was still sorrow, anger, and hesitation. And he could not know but Andrew Waltfeld's death had also taken a toll on her and had acted like a blow. They had made her understand that she needed to recover, to shape up. Moping around all time while pretending to be just fine couldn't get her anywhere. There were things she wanted to do, people she wanted to protect. But those people were trying to kill each other. How could she protect them both? If you thought about it, it was impossible. There shouldn't be a way to turn such a clear and obvious contradiction. That was why Kira was so lost and agonizing, tearing himself apart. And that was why Seren had decided to stop thinking and return to the simplest things. She was going to do it. She was going to protect them both. She was going to do eveything she can. Impossible or not she would see for herself but at least she had to try, one step at a time, without giving up. She had decided to try walking that endless and extremely difficult road, although for now she was still groping about in the darkness. At least it seemed her surroundings were a little clearer...

"Cagalli, thank you for having comforted **_this child_** when he was crying. You shouldn't feel embarrassed. **_This child_** is a gullible airhead too nice for his own good and who's absolutely terrified of failures. That's why **_this child_** needs lots of physical contacts to be constantly reassured. Here." The female Coordinator took the two of them in a group hug, surprising him.

"Wh-will you stop treating me like a child?" Kira asked, slightly peeved.

"I'll change when you change. Also Cagalli, if it's you, I know I can leave **_this child _**to you." Seren replied bluntly but with a (challenging) smile.

"Geez..." The boy sighed. She certainly knew how to tease and provoke people. But suddenly, Cagalli laughed, saying they were weird in too many ways. Seren let go and the two looked at her quizzically. The blonde one put her hands on her hips and went to sit against the wall.

"The other day you slapped me and told me off." She was referring to the time when the Resistence had chased the Tiger right after the burning of Tassil and they had talked about pointless suicidal conduct, not being able to protect anything with feelings alone and Kira had... well... slapped her. Thing for which he apologized now with a sheepish expression... although it was not like Cagalli cared anymore... She also commented about the bad blood between them at that time compared to how close they seemed now. And she also asked the question that had been plaguing her since she had learned those two were Coordinators... "Why in the world are you guys Coordinators in the first place?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, no, that didn't come out right. Why are you siding with the Earth forces even though you're Coordinators?" Cagalli rephrased. The childhood friends stared at each other for a time.

"Do you find it strange? We do get that a lot." Indeed, they had been asked that a number of times from Athrun, 'why are you siding with Naturals?'... They had also heard it from the commander of the Artemis base who had called them traitors to Coordinators, and from Andrew Waltfeld who didn't know why they had chosen to fight against their own people. The pair came to sit at her side.

"Well, whether it's strange or not, that's not the point. But this war started because Naturals and Coordinators were at odds, and I was wondering whether this had an effect on you."

"What about you?"

"My feelings for someone don't change just because they're Coordinators."

"Same here." The enhanced humans smiled.

"But I must fight this war because we're under attack."

"Same here." They smiled again and chuckled. "The Coordinators are no different than anyone else."

"But you guys can do so much more than we can, from birth."

"Only if we pratice, study, or train properly. It's not like we can do anything since we're babies just because we're Coordinators."

"Ah, I guess you're right."

"It's true that we don't catch deadly deceases, and we're born after our genes are operated on to alter our potential abilities or physical features. But isn't that the Naturals... or more like everyone's dream? That's why we exist..."

Meanwhile, Flay, who had been in Kira's room, had decided to go look for him. As he was nowhere to be seen inside – not even with the Strike – she went to the aft deck. The door was open and she heard Kira's voice, as well as Seren's and Cagalli's. She hid and spied a few seconds with a dark look before returning inside and stripping. The blonde girl admitted her friends being right again.

"So, why?" Kira wondered again.

"Kira, there you are!" Flay suddenly popped up, her pink t-shirt rolled up to right below her chest and tied at her side. "Phew, it's so hot!" She posed like a model, showing off the bare skin of her arms and belly. "I looked all over for you." She leant in, revealing the base of her voluptuous feminine charms. "Come on, if you were coming onto the deck, you should have invited me." She grabbed his arm, pulled him up and pressed herself against him, gazing at him flirtatiously. The boy stammered an apology. He looked at the two other females who blankly stared back at them, an eyebrow raised. Those two looked so alike then. "This feels so great. But I don't want to get sunburned. Let's return to our room after a little while." She did her best to sound weak and helpless and delicate, as if she absolutely needed him and she'd reward him. Cagalli couldn't take it anymore and left, pretexting she didn't want to be a bother. Seren sighed.

"What a frivolous inconsiderate and selfish sissy, fearing to get a sunburn while others right here fear for their lives, for those they hold dear, and the future of what is important to them... Also ignoring Cagalli and me, going straight after Kira, flirting with him dressed like this... how unbelievably rude and dissolute of you..." She lamented like she couldn't remember having raised a daughter like this, a hand on her cheek. Flay lost her temper and accused her of being jealous.

Kira tried to say something but could not. Somehow, right now, he simply felt unable to stop a quarrel between these two. He acknowledged Seren was right, but also that she was too harsh. He acknowledged Flay was wrong but he also understood why she was like this. It was their fault. And that was the only way he could think of to make up to her. And so, because he could not defend one against the other without hurting anyone, he could only stay quiet.

"Too bad, but my feelings for Kira are not like this. It's just that even though that guy's such a wishy-washy moronic wimp, he's still my childhood friend and I can't leave him in the claws of a vamp like you. Well, I understand you feel scared and threatened. You don't want to lose your tool of revenge. But could you please not act so overly flirty? You're making me go blind and deaf and you're making a fool out of yourself, being so over the top. That's really pitiful." The female Coordinator smiled condescendingly. This made the red head fly off the handle again, denying all accusations and retorting that Seren could just leave already if she didn't want to see or hear. "You don't have to snap like this. I was just giving friendly advice and warning. And I have more for you. When you truly love someone, you want what is best for them. So if you still believe that all Coordinators must be wiped out as I'm sure you do, you can forget it. What Kira and I truly want is for Naturals and Coordinators to coexist in peace, even if he isn't yet willing to admit it in front of you. That's why I will get stronger and he will too in time. We'll definitely make it succeed. Now if you consider my presence an obstacle, just try to ask him to kill me. But you don't have to worry about him leaving you since he still feels too guilty for that to happen." Seren smirked sweetly, confidently, tauntingly, provokingly as she put a hand on her shoulder. Then she stepped towards the door and turned towards her old friend. "Also, Kira, we have another problem. Tolle's been training more and more on the skygrasper simulator. I'm sure he wants to use the real one someday to help us."

"What?! No! That's..."

"I know. I don't want that either. I care about him too, an awful lot, so piloting, risking his life on the frontline... is something I never want him to do, no matter what. Well, of course, when you truly like someone, you don't want them to stain their hands with blood; you don't want them to suffer and to risk death. You never know what will happen on a battlefield. There will always be times when our best efforts won't be enough. Milly will be worried sick for him each time. And she'd be inconsolable should something happen to him."

A ZAFT Vosgulov-class submarine... Rau Le Creuset was conversing with Captain Marco Morassim and voicing his great surprise at Commander Waltfeld's demise in battle... and blamed himself for his failure, which allowed the Legged Ship to land down on Earth. Morassim scoffed at that speech of circumstance delivered so unimpassionately. He was already quite aware of that man's crafty and hypocritical nature. And it could be simply the dislike of a veteran soldier for a cheeky upstart. Le Creuset proceeded to inform the captain that he would be coming down to Earth shortly for the Operation Spitbreak and that he hoped he could count on his assistance. Marco hit the button with his fist. The screen went black.

"Damn Le Creuset! Sending messages like this is just a cheap way to try to provoke me." And indeed, Le Creuset was perfectly cognizant of some people's distrust and dislike towards him... and knew how to take advantage of it, just like the trust others put into him... "But nevermind. I'll go along with it. I'll sink that so-called Legged Ship into the Indian Ocean."

A few hours later, in the Archangel's CIC, Chandra, Pal and Tonomura were argueing about the functionning of the sonar... which made Badgiruel sigh, and Haw giggle... when suddenly, Kuzzey detected something on the radar. Chandra and Pal quickly climbed back up and returned to their positions.

"You sure it's not a civilian aircraft again or something?" The tone was tense and apprehensive. The two confirmed. Although they couldn't be sure due to heavy interference, given the speed of the signal, they could rule out the possibility of the civilian craft! Ramius ordered all hands to level two battle stations and to identify the blips. The alert resounded. La Flaga complained that there wasn't supposed to be any ZAFT presence around here.

"Okay! I've located the Legged Ship! GOOhN Team, prepare for launch!" Morassim instructed from his AMF-101 DINN. His order was relayed to the team. The GOOhNs soon launched. Sai identified the ZAFT inter-atmosphere mobile suit DINN. Murrue raised the battle alert to level one. Commander La Flaga, Ensign Yamato and Ensign Ashford were to proceed to their machines immediately. Badgiruel tried to remind her captain about the Strike's situation but she was already aware of that. The Strike could not fly in the atmostphere and could not swim. But she would still have him as back up. Well, Seren was already dressed in her pilot suit and passing through the hangar with a jaded expression... to everyone's surprise. She had been waiting for the alert in the changing room. She had learned to relax as much as she could right after an attack while the others were still on guard and to become vigilant when the others relaxed the most, because that was when ZAFT usually attacked. Although when she thought about it, it revolted her that she could have grown accustomed to such a thing. Nobody should have to do that. But it was too late for that now. Tonomura reported the approach of DINNs from ten o'clock, four o'clock and one o'clock.

"Load Wombats into missile launchers, 7 through 10!" Natarle yelled. "Fire!" The missiles were fired. "Activate Igelstellung!" The enemy mobile suits dodged all the missiled and fired back. Morassim vowed to sink the Legged Ship. But even though had been ready first, she asked for La Flaga to go first. She had something in mind. And so skygrasper one, equipped with the Strike's launcher pack, proceeded to the catapult.

"Skygrasper, La Flaga! Course clear! Go ahead!" Haw-nittohei said.

"Okay! La Flaga, taking off!" The Lieutenant Commander launched. Cagalli wanted to sortie too but the second unit was far too damaged to allow that. And Murdoch told her to stop wandering about. The DINNs shot. The Valiant fired on Natarle's signal. Seren was bidding her time, with her Schwert Gewehr Lanze, Vulcan gun... and also a nine-barelled rocket-propelled torpedo (that could be used on land and in the sea) launcher on the back kindly given by the 8th Fleet. For underwater battles it nicely replaced the cluster bombs launcher. She got the go-head from Mirillia.

"Seren Ashford, Blast, heading out!" She sortied. Mu fired with his two medium caliber cannons but missed his targets. He cursed. Those machines must be from Carpentaria. The two DINNs turned to him and shot with their 76mm Heavy Assault Machine Guns. Suddenly, one exploded after having been hit by the Blast's Lanze, exactly as Seren had expected. The girl caught the falling machine gun while shielding herself from the other. She shot it but missed too before leaving it to La Flaga and quickly going after the third machine that was being kept at bay by the ship's defenses. She fired and was dodged again. She chased the DINN. Tonomura, who was carefully listening to any reaction from the sonar, detected four underwater mobile suits by their distinctive speed and propelling sounds. Natarle was troubled.

"There's a rushing sound on sonar! Incoming torpedoes!" Tonomura warned.

"Evade them!" The captain yelled but Neumann retorted that they didn't have the time. "Maximum propulsion! Pull away from the water!" She changed strategy. The pilot pulled the wheel and the Archangel ascended, shaking under the strain. The projectiles passed by harmlessly. The ZAFT amphibious mobile suits surfaced and fired at the ship. The Strike tried to retaliate with his rifle. However, from his spot on the catapult, holding onto the edge of the wall, there was extremely little he could do compared to the mobility of the enemy. There was no way he could get them from here. Kira asked Chief Murdoch whether they still had the bazooka they had got from the 8th Fleet supplies. The head mechanic asked what was with it. The boy told him to get it. He was going to dive. A UMF-4A GOOhN hit the Strike with a missile. Murdoch couldn't believe his ears... diving?! With the Strike?! The pilot understood what he meant to say but there was no choice, he had to do something! The Skygrasper passed under the ship and shot at another GOOhN that had come out of the water even as he was chased by Morassim's DINN.

Kira took the bazooka, activated his thrusters, leapt into the sky, and shot at one of the amphibious machines that dived back in. The Strike fell into the sea. Badgiruel warned her subordinates to be careful not to hit the Strike when firing the Valiant. While one continued to concentrate on the Archangel, three GOOhNs immediately started circling the Earth Alliance unit like sharks. They shot it, collided with it, slowly draining its Phase-shift armor. But even when the Strike shot back, the ZAFT machines were too fast to get a hit. Given their obvious advantage, the enemy pilots started boasting that he could never beat GOOhNs underwater with a space mobile suit. After getting hit a few more time, Kira threw his bazooka, caught a GOOhN and stabbed it with his Armor Schneider combat knife. He let go and the robot blew up after a few seconds. The comrades of the fallen soldier swore and charged to get revenge.

The Blast shot the head of a DINN. It tried to escape but the ship's Valiant struck its middle and it exploded. Its remains fell into the ocean La Flaga was still fighting. Seren darted to the other of the Archangel, using it to hide herself from view. She dived head first, shooting in midair the GOOhN that had risen above surface to hit the ship. It exploded too. She broke the water. Once submerged, one of the two machines that had been set upon Kira attacked her. A GOOhN's torpedoes hit Kira who lost his knife. It knocked the EA mobile suit that tried got away before catching a DINN's machine gun (the DINN that had been damaged by Seren and finished by the ship). He removed the broken arm from the grip, and, after hesitation, he shot the ZAFT machine at point blank range when it collided with him. Seren fired her torpedoes but missed. Although it couldn't be quite as fast as proper amphibious machines like the GOOhN (far from that), its Storm Blast mobility pack could allow for significant improvements in speed and movements even underwater. However, underwater utilization put a strain on the apparel, notably in case of prolonged use. But just like the Blast was too fast to be hit by the GOOhN's weapons, the GOOhN was too fast for the Blast. Finally, the ZAFT pilot, confident in his superiority in this environnement, lunged at her. Seren moved just a little to the side and sliced the GOOhN horizontally for a slanted cut. The bisected machine blew up. In the same time, La Flaga damaged Morassim's DINN by shooting its right wing. And so, the enemy captain –and sole survivor of this operation – was forced to retreat.

And as Kira and Seren were slowly returning to the Archangel, surrounded by the sinking debris of the enemy mobile suits, they did not forget that inside those machines were people and Coordinators like them. And they did not forget Andrew Waltfeld and his words.

_I know. But unless I do it, we'll end up... _The boy thought, his eyebrows tightly knitted over his anguished purple eyes.

_I know. That's why I decided, but how long? How long until..._ The girl gritted her teeth.

PLANTs. Nicol, in his red uniform, saluted his parents as a ZAFT soldier. He had a suitcase at his feet and was ready to board the Vesalius for a new mission. His father nodded sadly. His mother prayed for his safety with her gentle voice. He thanked them, said his goodbyes, and left under his parents's poignantly worried gaze. As he floated in the Vesalius's hallway, he was hailed from behinf by Athrun who lightly bumped his fist against his open palm. Nicol greeted him and thanked him for having come to listen to his piano concert the other day. Athrun praised him about his great concert.

"Were you not sleeping?" The youngest elite teased.

"N-no I wasn't." Zala stammered, sounding embarrassed... and sounding like he was lying [not to hurt his friend's feelings].

"The truth is I'd like to do a proper concert sometime."

"Not right now..." Circumstances being as they were... "But things should change once Operation Spitbreak ends." If they could deal a significant blow to the Earth Alliance, which was the aim of this operation, surely the enemy would behave at least for a time.

"You're right. In any case, we were able to enjoy an extended break this time."

"Yeah."

"It's gonna be my first time to Earth."

"It's the same for me."

"Oh, right."

And after a time, the Vesalius took off.

* * *

The opposite of 'strength' isn't noticed. Maybe it's 'quivering'. Those stone expectations stored inside our hearts are so heavy. Despair, hesitation, a sad fate, even if only such a tomorrow comes it's always alright to believe. In this world, we change but thus, we are existing. The journey to find the meaning of our existence may not have a goal. But just like the sky is blue, like the sea is blue, then for us to be ourselves, just that should be fine. Important things will surely remain.

* * *

**Author's note:** **I've just noticed I never wrote it anywhere, but here: Seren's pilot suit is basically the same as Kira's, only the shoulders and sleeves are a pale yellow instead of blue.** **Anyway, Seren and Kira are finally 'reconciling' or Seren just one-sidedly took a decision? Oh well ^^ Next chapter... will be something ^^.**


	22. The devil and the deep blue sea

**Phase-22: The Devil and the Deep blue Sea**

A Nazca-class and three Laurassia-class were on Earth orbit. The Gibraltar weather service was playing. It was a sunny day, with a high of 12 degrees, humidity 45%, wind west northwest, 27km/h. There was a low pressure warning on the Vanalona shore. And indeed, knowing the weather and atmospheric conditions was essential for what was about to happen. The three Laurassia-class ships dropped their detachable mobile suits deck. Among them were Athrun in his Aegis and Nicol in his Blitz. At the Earth Alliance forces orbit traffic observation center, the descent alarm from the Enderbury antenna sounded. They had detected the mobile suits containers, presently over Yap Island, and descending along the Qomolangma route. The Rear Admiral, commander of this base, complained that there wasn't even time to let the alarm rest. The Captain guessed it was a delivery for Gibraltar. But with this route, it was not like the EA could do anything against it. ZAFT was definitely taking advantage of their domination of the sky.

"It appears that those rumors that ZAFT is planning a large-scale operation in the near future aren't just rumors..." The commander devised.

"Are they after Panama?" His second pondered.

"They likely won't be satisfied until they take over all our spaceports. Kaohsiung, Victoria... Panama's the only one left. But, we won't let them get Panama!"

"Do you mean a submarine carrier?" Murrue questioned. About a day had passed since ZAFT's previous attack. She and Mu were having a meeting while walking in the hallways (and eating a sandwhich too in the man's case). He clarified his thoughts. No matter how you sliced it, they couldn't have come directly from Carpentaria as the distance was too big. Besides, the Archangel was also on the move. Even if they had barely enough fuel to make it here, a return trip was impossible, especially after a battle. The captain sighed.

"And if it were a ship above water or an aircraft, there's no way we'd miss it... but we're just not used to anything underwater." La Flaga added. Tonomura sneezed in the CIC and was stared at by Chandra and Badgiruel. "If it comes again, we've got to destroy it too. Otherwise it'll be on our tail forever." He finished his sandwhich. After Le Creuset and the Vesalius in space, now that? He couldn't allow it to happen.

"You're right. However..." Ramius trailed off, troubled.

"Cheer up!" The man gave her strong slap on her back, a wink, and a thumb up. She glared at him. "We'll manage somehow! Maybe we can proceed over shallow seas! We've somehow managed so far."

"There you go again with those groundless declarations..." The captain chided him, her fists on her hips.

"That's called encouragement." He lightly poked her forehead with his index and laughed good-heartedly as he walked away.

"Geez!" The woman complained, apparently angry, before giggling and smiling. It was really impossible to stay mad at a charming man like him. And he had supported her so much all this time.

The detachable mobile suits containers had safely landed on the ZAFT base of Gibraltar and been unloaded. Among the GINNs and GOOhNs, there were also the Blitz and the Aegis from which Athrun descended. Nicol told him the Le Creuset Team was to gather in Briefing Room Number 2. They ran ro the buildings.

"Please, Commander! Allow me to go after them!" Yzak pleaded vehemently in said briefing room. Le Creuset told him he was getting too emotional. He tried to protest but was interrupted though by Athrun excusing himself on the other side of the door and entering. He was followed by Nicol. The two new comers were surprised to see the scar on their comrade's face. The blue-eyed young man glared at them and sharply turned his head. Dearka also greeted them. He was sitting at the far back of the room, and he seemed in an unusually bad mood although it didn't show too much.

"The wound has healed but he doesn't intend to remove it until he destroys the Strike and the Blast." Rau explained. Zala's face tightened with pain and apprehension. "We must stop the Legged Ship from getting to Alaska with the data they've acquired no matter what. However, Carpentaria has already been assigned that mission."

"But it's our job, Commander! We should be the ones to get them right to the end!" Yzak insisted, as he curled his right hand into a fist.

"I feel the same way, Commander." Dearka stood up, sounding unusually eager. He was habitually much more laid back.

"Dearka!" Nicol said, surprised.

"I've also been totally humiliated by those guys." Elsman added, scoffing and putting a hand on his hip. They notably remembered extremely vividly when the Blast had instantly incapacited them in the desert without finishing them off, just so they could play sitting ducks for the resistance's shooting practice...

"Needless to say, I also feel the same way. I've got to prepare for Operation Spitbreak so I must remain here... but if you feel that strongly about it, why not go at it by yourselves?" Le Creuset suggested. This proposition was gladly accepted by the two vengeful youths. "Then we'll form a group consisting of Yzak, Dearka, Nicol, and Athrun. As commander, I appoint... let's see... Athrun, I'm putting you charge. I'll make arrangements to have Carpentaria take you. Prepare to go immediately." The officer announced.

The most shocked was certainly Athrun himself. Dearka was surprised too but then he looked at Yzak, his first thoughts being for his closest friend whose feelings he had already guessed. It was Yzak who had always felt the most strongly about the destruction of the Strike, Blast, and the Legged ship. He had always been the most eager. He was the oldest, and also very proud of his status as an elite soldier and his skills. All this time he had been regarded like the unofficial "deputy leader" of the Le Creuset Team. And since he had received that scar, this matter had become more than a mission. It had become like a personal vendetta. Added the fact that he had always felt a certain rivalry towards Senator Zala's son... However, as their superior had remarked, he had always been overly emotional and hot-headed. Given all those, his wrath and frustation at this decision seemed quite justified. He was glaring furiously at Athrun like he was trying to shoot him dead.

"Commander... me, sir?" The new commander felt compelled to confirm.

"It's a ship that's given us great difficulty so it won't be easy. I'm counting on you, Athrun." Le Creuset placed an apparently reassuring hand on the young man's shoulder. He had judged that his objectiveness and level-headedness were more needed than zeal for a leader. He left on those words.

"So we're the Zala Team, huh?" Dearka noted.

"Let's just see how well you do, shall we?" Yzak scoffed. But the pilot of the Aegis wasn't listening. He was remembering another conversation with that man. It was after Lacus's rescue from the Archangel and they had handed over to Laconi...

_"The Strike... unless you shoot it down, you could be its next victim... And the Blast... she's actually the one that dealt the most physical damage... but she's also the most naïve... She almost never goes for the kill, especially against the units we stole. Despite having her enemies at her mercy, she lets them escape. That weakness must be taken advantage of before she realizes the reality of war... or we will regret it from our graves..." _ That time too his officer had put a hand on his shoulder and left. And considering all that happened since then, this gesture was for the boy more a warning full of pressure than anything. Athrun tightened his fists.

Hours later, in his room, Kira was soaking a towel in cold water and wringing it to remove the excess while Flay was moaning and complaining about how unwell and queasy she felt. The boy laid the towel on her forehead and she felt a little better. But then she started whining again. Leaving Kira and Seren aside, how come everyone else was alright? The Coordinator didn't think the ship was swaying enough for it to be seasickness but the girl was not of the same opinion. It was swaying like crazy. And she groaned again. Kira offered to go fetch Miriallia to help with different stuff. It might have sounded like consideration on his part but truthfully, being with her now made him slightly uneasy, like it wasn't right. She turned down the offer though, saying she was fine as long as Kira was with her. She also requested some juice. But as Kira stood up and headed towards the door, she whined that the towel was already warm. He looked at her from the hallways and sighed. Really, just like an unreasonable baby demanding to be spoilt and pampered. The door closed.

Kuzzey was in the cafeteria with a laptop before him. He was looking at a map with their estimated route to Alaska, and the one he would like to take that stopped over at Orb.

"You don't think it's possible?" The boy asked hopefully.

"Well, our destination is Alaska. Stopping by Orb would take us completely off course." Sai was standing behind him and leaning over.

"Besides, what do you plan to do there? Right now we're soldiers. We've been told that we cannot take leave of our duties during a mission." Milly reminded her friend. She was sitting next to them. There was also Cagalli at the table behind them, and Kisaka standing at her side.

"But this wasn't in our plans at all. We were supposed to descend directly to Alaska. So I was wondering, given the situation... Seren, what do you think?" Kuzzey inquired.

"Orb...huh?" Seren, who was sitting in front of them, sipped her drink. "Hmmm... I'd like to go too. It would be good for resupplying, ship maintenance, and maybe get permission to see family too but it wouldn't be easy. Well, that would make us do a consequent detour but it's possible if ZAFT corners us. And I wouldn't be surprised if they sent the Duel, Buster, Blitz and Aegis after us... since they seem to be our 'fated enemies'... But even though this ship has been built thanks to Orb's support, that was not the will of the country but the independent action of a few individuals who went against Orb's motto. We are an Earth Alliance warship. To preserve their official neutrality they'd certainly refuse us entry, especially if it's to protect us from ZAFT. And if we try to force our way in they'd certainly try to destroy us. That's the law of Orb, right? Besides, we're kind of the embodiment of their mistake after all. And because of this ship, Heliopolis was destroyed, Artemis was destroyed, the 8th Fleet was destroyed... We cause more problems than anything and surely many people think it would be best if we simply disappeared." She answered coolly, blatantly comparing this ship and the Gs to a bothersome illegitimate child.

"Ehhhh? No way..."

"There's still a chance they'd let us in though..." The Coordinator pondered after a time. Cagalli looked startled at this, but only Seren, who had a good view of that table, noticed.

"What is it?" Kuzzey asked again.

"The Strike's and the Blast's battle data as well as Kira's and my technical cooperation with Morgenroete. Certainly in order to help with a way to make MS suitable for Naturals... and usable in real battles. That's about the only benefit I can think of worth the risk they'd take given the pressure they'd get from ZAFT, although the three officers certainly wouldn't be happy about it, especially Badgiruel-chuui..." The dark-haired girl replied gravely. The others looked down. They'd have to rely on Kira and Seren again. Those guys who never wanted to fight would be forced to develop killing tools. But they were only speaking hypothetically! There was absolutely no garantee that things would come down to this! In fact, it was very unlikely given the present situation, so no need to worry about that, right? "Well, the biggest hurdle would be to be actually allowed entry, but once inside, as long as you get permission from the higher ups of course, you should be able to see your family. I don't see any reason why they would refuse. But do you really want to return to Orb like this?" Seren questioned with a slight teasing tone.

"Eh? Well... that's..."

"Haha, don't worry, if push comes to shove, I'll do something about it. If you're from Orb, just believe in Haumea's guidance." She laughed, grinned and made a V sign. The others smiled too but more weakly. She was definitely pushing herself. Cagalli and Kisaka left under Seren's watchful eyes. She had found a few things about these two.

In the hallway, Kisaka called Cagalli's name warningly. She stopped.

"I know! Don't say anything! I haven't said anything!"

"Then it's fine."

"Well, I do feel that I should if something were to happen..."

"Cagalli!"

"It can't be helped, can it? I do understand the circumstances, but I feel I cannot allow this ship or those machines to be destroyed..." She tried to explain her gut feeling. But her bodyguard was still not convinced. "Seren said it, right? If push comes to shove, something must be done. It must be Haumea's guidance!" The girl walked away. She and Kira quickly greeted each other as they passed by. Kisaka watched them walk in opposite directions for a time before following Cagalli. Cagalli who was very pensive for once... Seren, Haumea, that stone pendant she had seen hanging from Seren's neck... that little girl whose face she couldn't remember and with whom she would sometimes play until she had one day she disappeared without a trace over ten years ago...

Kira entered the cafeteria and saw his fellow former students at a table. He and Sai, who was still standing, looked at each other for a second before Sai sat down without a word, his eyes fixed on his drink. Kira stared ahead again, frowning with a put out expression, as if covering the guilt he felt with surliness. And Seren was staring at them both, scowling, her eyebrows tightly knitted. Milly stood up, joined Kira and asked how Flay was doing, if she had recovered from her seasickness, surely in hope to dissipate the tense atmosphere that had settled in.

"Yeah. She took her medicine. But she's still groaning."

"Sai, is it really alright?" Kuzzey whispered.

"It's fine. I can't compete with Kira, anyway." Sai smiled back, sadly, resignedly. Suddenly, Seren stood up, slamming her hands on the table, and scaring everyone.

"You guys are just hopeless idiots. It's too painful and irritating to watch." She left. Kira and Sai who were already aware of Flay's true nature and her reason for being with Kira and despite that couldn't throw their feelings, Flay who was so consumed by rage, who hated Kira and her so much that she no longer cared about stooping low or giving her body away to get revenge... It was like seeing them being eaten alive, like they were rotting from within! And they were just calmly accepting things and going along with it! Just how was that necessary?! The Coordinator quickly marched away.

The teens looked at the entrance before hanging their heads. As usual, Seren had really hit home with something. They understood her, and even thought she was right. This situation wasn't right. Because those involved were in pain, those who cared about them were worried and hurt just seeing them like that. They all knew that. But even so, no one could do anything about it.

Tonomura detected something with the sonar. It was mobile suits! At 7 o'clock! They matched the sound signals. There were four GOOhNs, plus one unit for sure but whose model was unknown.

"All hands! Level one battle alert!" Ramius instructed. Her orders were relayed through the ship. Miriallia, Sai and Kuzzey dashed from the cafeteria to the bridge. Mu and Seren had already changed in their pilot suits and burst into the hangar. Flay whimpered Kira's name whiningly.

"Sorry, I have to go." Yamato apologised. The girl nodded.

"Protect us, please. Kill them all." She looked down. Kira said nothing, but he was remembering things Seren had said...

_"Well, of course, when you truly like someone, you don't want them to stain their hands with blood; you don't want them to suffer and to risk death." _ That was right before the previous attack.

_"Kira, to be honest, it'll be more difficult without you. But you don't have to come. I made my choice now it's up to you. I will... kill people to protect others. I will embrace the pain and the tears and the hatred. So it's fine if you don't come no, I'd prefer if you didn't, for your own sake. It's not necessary for you too to risk your life and bear the burden. So don't worry, I'll be fine even if I am alone." _And that was the second time he and Seren were to pilot the Strike and Blast to protect this ship, when it was still in Heliopolis and the colony had not yet shattered. And yet...

He left the room and from the hallway told her to get some sleep if she could... just as Sai, Milly and Kuzzey were arriving at his level. They stopped dead with awkward expressions. Kira noticed them and started. Sai looked down and said he was counting on him. The pilot's eyes widened in surprise before he hung his head and nodded. The trio darted. Sai truly loved Flay. And Flay loved Sai too. It was obvious when you thought about the way she had always hugged him and relied on him and protected him at Artemis... And her feelings for Coordinators like Lacus, Seren, and himself had been just as obvious. Everything had changed after they couldn't protect Vice-minister Allster.

_"Conversely, scorning Sai's sincere feelings, showing no remorse after what you've done... This... is nothing short of a betrayal! Were both of your feelings straight and genuine, I wouldn't say anything, but Kira, you're only looking for an escape to your pain and because of the guilt you feel towards her and Flay's only looking for a tool to enact her revenge against all Coordinators, ZAFT who's attacking, and us who couldn't protect. We suffer when we fight our own kind, we suffer when we can't protect anyone, that's why she wants us to keep fighting and suffering until we die fighting. Right now... you two are acting like the worst of the worst!"_

He knew Seren was right. When none of their feelings were truly sincere, just how could he answer Sai's earnestness? How could he hold his head high? But what other way could there be to make it up to Flay?! He gritted his teeth and ran to the changing room.

"They're taking the shallow route. This works better for this ZnO." Morassim gloated in his UMF-5 ZnO. "Creuset has also landed so today would be perfect to get rid of you!" He launched four toperdoes and two GOOhNs sent two each.

"Torpedoes approaching! Eight torpedoes!" Tonomura warned.

"Leave the water, ascend!" The captain ordered. The ship rose in the air. The projectiles passed inoffensively again but the GOOhNs had surfaced, moving at high speed in cruising mode and they were firing their Phonon Maser High Energy Cannons.

"Commence counterattack with Igelstellung! Aim Valiant! Fire!" Badgiruel shouted. The ZAFT units immersed themselves, avoiding being shot down. The Strike donned the sword pack. Murdoch was unsure of this choice but Kira confirmed. If he turned down the power of the beam it could be used as a normal sword. The mechanic okayed. The Blast equipped the sword, the Vulcan gun and the torpedoes launcher. And people had already learned to trust her judgement and not dispute her decisions... since if they did dispute her, she'd still do as she wanted and then chew them out and explain point by point why she had been right and why it had been so obvious.

"Commander, please." Ramius said.

"Okay! CIC, what is the estimated position of the enemy carrier?" Mu asked. Sai answered they would send him the estimated location calculated from the mobile suits's wake. La Flaga rogered. Then he heard Cagalli argueing fiercely with the Chief Mechanic...

"Why do you insist on just letting it sit idle? I can pilot that thing!"

"But you're not..."

"If they sink the Archangel, everything's over! If you won't allow me to help and we end up getting hit... I'll return as a ghost and haunt you!" She pointed an accusing finger at Kojiro Murdoch who recoiled fearfully.

"The girl wins this round, Chief!" The Lieutenant Commander laughed. "Get the Number 2 craft ready for her! We're going to sink the carrier. The more firepower, the better. But this isn't a game, girlie! I hope you're committing yourself with a good understanding of that."

"The name's Cagalli! And yes, I know!"

A GOOhN jumped like a monstruous mechanic dolphin and launched torpedoes. The female captain called for random evasive maneuvers and Natarle for the Valiant cannons to fire. A projectile hit the ship. La Flaga and Cagalli sortied. A ZAFT unit shot a dart at the back of the ship that retaliated by shooting its aft CIWS guns that missed their target due to it submerging. The Strike launched, and another shot a dart at it. Kira defended with his Panzer Eisen rocket anchor, which could also function as a shield and had an anti-beam coating, and countered with the Igelstellung. The GOOhN avoided and dived.

At the ZAFT base of Gibraltar, three carriers took off. Each contained one Red Coat, and their machine. Only Athrun was missing. He was still in the waiting room, dressed in his red pilot suit, and looking out the window at the transport vessels that were taking his friends away. He received a communication. He pressed a button on the device. Apparently there were troubles with the transport of his machine so his departure would be delayed. And so he was asked to remain here until further notice. The boy understood.

There were two GOOhNs to take care of the Strike and two to handle the Blast. ZAFT units launched torpedoes at the Strike that dodged and lunged. The enemy avoided, and the male EA pilot fired the Igelstellung. The second GOOhN shot him with its energy cannon. Kira shielded himself with the Panzer Eisen again and glided behind a rock to lessen the burden. He cursed. He had to find a way to stop their movements somehow! He was attacked by torpedoes from his right flank.

"I'll get this guy myself! Three of you finish the Blast in one go while the remaining guy goes after the ship!" The ZnO darted through the clouds of sediments and fired its Phonon Maser energy cannon. The X105 leapt away, avoiding the beams. The boy wondered what this new machine was. The two GOOhNs left the Strike to their Commander and one went to the ship and the other joined the others after the Blast. "I'll tear you to pieces today for sure! This ZnO will!" The ZAFT officer yelled. Kira charged but Morassim defended and knocked him away. He fired at a really close distance. They hit the Strike. A GOOhN surfaced and attacked the Archangel.

"Evade! Roll on 20 degrees!" The captain yelled.

"Don't let the GOOhNs lock on us! Valiant, fire!" Natarle shouted.

Seren avoided beams and torpedoes and shot her own projectiles. Sometimes her skilled maneuvers allowed her to make the enemy attacks nullify each other. However, three against one underwater was quite difficult. The difference in mobility in this environment was really too great. She had to make them come close. As she was shot from behind, she moved only slightly. Smoke and dust flew as the rock before her was shattered. The girl pretended to have her propulsion too damaged for proper movements. The bait was taken. Seeing a chance, a GOOhN charged and was stabbed by her Lanze. The Blast pushed the ZAFT mobile suit away and yanked her weapon and the enemy machine exploded. The skygraspers were still searching for the kitty cat (ZAFT submarine) – as La Flaga was putting it. Kira fired his grappling claw that was deflected. The ZnO rammed into the Strike. They smashed into the rocks, and with the impact Kira freed himself and escaped. Morassim launched torpedoes after him but they missed.

At Gibraltar, the pilots of the carrier apologized to commander Zala for having kept him waiting. Athrun said it was nothing, and sat down. The vessel took off.

In the Vosgulov-class submarine, the highest officer decided to send out the DINNs. The ZAFT vessel ascended. Suddenly, their radar detected something above the surface... two silhouettes! The Legged Ship's aircrafts!

"What?!" The officer looked up. Indeed, the skygraspers were reaching their position. They also located the carrier.

"Found ya! Let's go, girlie!" La Flaga exclaimed.

"It's Cagalli!" The annoyed 'girlie' retorted. The two shot one anti-submarine missile. The man in charge of the sonar reported their approach. The captain ordered an evasion but it was already too late. One missile missed but the other one hit its target.

"Starboard foredecks have been hit! Compartments flooding!"

"Damn! Surface and send out the DINNs! We'll knock them down!" The superior barked. Mu asked Cagalli whether she was ready since both knew the enemy was coming. She answered affirmatively, and determinedly. She veered down.

"Hey! Don't reduce your altitude too much! You'll get splashed!" The veteran pilot warned her. And indeed, as the submarine surfaced Cagalli was forced to pull the lever to gain altitude so she wouldn't crash against it. No matter how skilled she was at the simulator, this was only her second real sortie. She could only be called a novice. Added to that her over-confident and hot-headed nature... "Idiot! I did warn you, didn't I?!"

"Who's the idiot?!" She bit back. The latches opened to let out the DINNs. But La Flaga wouldn't allow it and fired the Agni cannon. The submarine exploded. Cagalli was already rejoicing when she saw a DINN come out of the black smoke. One had survived.

A GOOhN glided on its back to shoot the Archangel's belly. The ship shook and pivoted on one side to have a better shot at the ZAFT mobile suit that dodged again. Natarle asked what the Strike and the Blast were doing. Sai complained. The weapons they could currently use had too little firepower. If only they could get the enemy into the line of fire of their upper cannons... And Ramius chose to do just that.

"Neumann-shoui! Once is enough! Have the Archangel do a barrel roll!" She requested, shocking both Neumann and Badgiruel. "We'll get the enemy with the Gottfried's line of fire. Get it on the first try, Natarle." She turned to her vice-captain who gaped for a second.

"I understand." Natarle decided to answer to her superior's trust in kind.

"Ensign, you can do it, right?" Murrue asked again. Neumann confirmed. The alarm rang through the ship again, announcing that the ship would do a 360° barrel roll and asking everyone to prepare for impact. Nobody was happy about it. The captain fastened her seatbelt and told the CIC to prepare the Gottfried. The Archangel started rotating. Flay held onto Kira's bedpost as her beauty products on the shelf fell over. Murdoch tumbled while complaining about the gravity. The GOOhN returned but as it tried to repeat the same attack, the pilot was horrified to see the upper side of the Legged Ship. The Gottfried fired, blowing up the GOOhN.

The two ZAFT pilots, enraged by their comrade's death, lunged at Seren who waited until the last second, jumped, and bisected the first GOOhN from above before seizing her Armor Schneider combat knife, sidestepping, and planting the knife in the last GOOhN's flank. Seren resurfaced and asked the Archangel for permission to reinforce the skygraspers. She was worried about Cagalli since she was still inexperienced and hot-headed and too reckless and she had already been shot down in the desert too. And she had a bad feeling. Although Natarle tried to protest, the Blast's pilot received permission to go and so she went. The captain had long understood that there was no stopping Seren when she was like this. It was better to let her do as she liked than to restrain her and risk her disobeying and causing more trouble than she would have done otherwise. Besides, they could trust her instinct.

The Strike stabbed the ZnO's shoulder while it was distracted by the shockwave of the explosion. The ZAFT mobile suit caught the gundam's head in its claws and pinned the EA unit down. It was going to fire its Mason energy cannon at point blank range when Kira seized his two combat knives and planted them in the enemy's neck... with an expression of abhorrence at his own repulsive act. Even though it was to save himself, he had yet again taken another life. The Strike gripped the front of the ZnO, put its foot in its middle and did a circular throw. The ZnO landed further back and exploded. The X105 was protected from the shockwave by the rocky elevation on which it was lying.

Mu was firing at the DINN when Cagalli crossed his line of vision... and fire. He scolded her and told her to stop wandering about or he could hit her. She snapped back without acknowledging her mistake. But then her skygrasper was damaged by the DINN. Smoke was coming out of the back of her machine. The DINN shot at her but La Flaga diverted its attention and asked if she was alright. She was okay. Only her navigation module had been had. The veteran ordered her to return to the Archangel. The girl tried to protest but she was told that she'd only be a bother with the way she was flying. Cagalli was forced to assent and left.

Seren was flying through the clouds and feelings rather apprehensive. It wasn't as much about the slight malfunctions and delayed movements she had just noticed in her storm pack as it was about Cagalli.

"Hey!" One of the pilots of the ZAFT carrier exclaimed.

"Yeah! But who could it be way out here?!" His fellow replied. Athrun opened the door and tensely asked what the matter was. And he was surprised by the answer. "There are signs of a battle going on ahead of us. It would be a nuisance to get involved in that. We haven't loaded any Guuls. Your machine will sink."

The DINN shielded its eyes and fired in direction of the sun where Mu had 'hidden' to blind his enemy. The shots missed. La Flaga roared as he dived down and blasted a hole in the middle of the ZAFT mobile suit that blew up. He cheered. It was then he heard Seren's voice, and saw the X216, much to his surprise.

"La Flaga-shousa!"

"Missie! What are you doing here? Well, too bad, I've already taken care of the enemy!"

"I saw that, but I don't see Cagalli nor did I see her when I was coming here. Where is she?"

"Eh? She should have returned to the Archangel. Her navigation module was damaged so I made her go home."

The female Coordinator clicked her tongue and asked about the direction she had taken. Mu remembered and told her. The girl said she was going to fetch her and left without waiting for or listening to any reply, good or bad. Fortunately, she found her soon enough and was going to lead her back when they saw and detected a ZAFT transport vessel. And at this distance, it was just plain impossible for them not to have been discovered too. Cagalli wanted to shoot down those ZAFT reinforcements but Seren wanted to avoid unnecessary fights as their own machines were already damaged. The carrier attacked them while they were argueing. Inside the vessel a pilot told Athrun to go into the cockpit of his mobile suit. If need be, they would eject his machine. The boy wanted to object but he was silenced. If their carrier was shot down with that thing aboard, they would be disgraced! He obeyed. But although its presence had been detected, neither of them had seen the Blast yet as it had been a little too far on the left, beyond the field of vision offered by their craft. Seren fired her Igelstellung and Vulcan gun while she went to shield the skygrasper. Cagalli wanted to help but Seren refused. The EA mobile suit shot torpedoes at the carrier while she forced the small aircraft to return to the Archangel. However, while she covered her ally while she was retreating, the Blast's propulsion was hit. The pilots of the ZAFT craft cursed. They had been careless because they thought they controlled the skies.

"It's impossible! We can't do it any longer! Reducing altitude and ejecting cargo!"

"What about you?" Zala asked.

"We'll escape after that! Don't worry about us!"

"Okay." Athrun answered. The latch opened and the Aegis slid down.

The Blast was quickly losing altitude too. Its storm pack could still function but not enough to allow her fly. She saw an island, reached it, and managed to land without particular problems. The radio didn't work. She checked her bag. There were rations and water and other necessary stuff for such cases. Seren deactivated her machine, left her helmet on her seat, climbed down and took a look. Really not something she could somehow fix on her own but that could be repaired without much trouble if she could somehow return to the ship. Well, guess she could leave it at that for the moment. But it seemed like she could be here for a long time. Such a bleak propect made her heave a sigh. She loosened the collar of the pilot suit and looked at the island: it seemed to be of a decent size, with beaches, cliffs, and a forest. The girl walked on towards the forest. First she had to explore this island, check if it was really uninhabited, if there was water, maybe gather wood for a fire...

She climbed the steep mountain path and before long she could overlook the other side. She had landed on a nice flat sandy beach but this shore was a rugged one with rocks emerging from the surface. But it was still beautiful. This island wasn't as large as she had expected though. And it did seem to be a deserted island. Seren looked around more carefully and was shocked to see a gundam... and even more so when she recognized its silhouette. It was... the Aegis?! She looked down and saw a man with dark hair and a red pilot suit walking... Athrun?! The girl gasped, clamped her hands on her mouth and backed away. But as she did, she stepped on a branch, making it crack loudly. Just as Athrun turned around she hid behind a tree. Her heart was beating madly. There was happiness, and there was also fear... It was him in that transport vessel, the one she had almost sunk?! Should she show herself?! She wanted to, so much that it took her all her will to control herself. But even if that wasn't her feeling at all, and it shouldn't be his either... Athrun was a soldier now, and to him, she was an enemy, and they should avoid unnecessary suffering... she didn't know how to face him... but... but... and while she was struggling inbetween heart and reason, she felt Chacha sneak out of her clothes, and escape by her loosened collar.

"Who is it? Show yourself!" The ZAFT soldier grabbed his gun and aimed as he approached. His green eyes widened when he saw the robotic squirrel slowly glide to him and land on his gun before running up his arm to his shoulder. He looked up again and Seren appeared with a grave expression.

"Hi, Athrun. Long time no see." Her tone was as cool and composed as usual. She was smiling a cheerless smile.

"Seren?!"

* * *

Those who hold onto pain, those who hold onto anger, those who hold onto people against their reason... with feelings so strong they hurt even those around them... It is said that time heals wounds but theirs only fester. What they thirst for is both sweet and bitter, both medicine and poison. But can it really mend their breaking souls? What is there at the end of this road of suffering?


	23. In love and war

**Phase-23: In love and war**

"Seren?!" Athrun exclaimed, shocked. He slowly lowered his gun and the girl approached.

"So you were the one in that transport vessel." She noted as she looked at the Aegis.

"And you were the one who shot us down." He looked down.

"But you were the first to shoot. I was just herding a puppy back and didn't want any unnecessary fight. I was attacked so I defended myself, and there was someone I had to protect."

"When you see an enemy machine you must shoot before you're shot."

"What's with this Manichean view of the world? Why are you always confining yourselves to only two alternatives? That's why you soldiers are no good." Seren chided using her motherly tone.

"Aren't you one too?" The ZAFT elite replied.

"If you really thought so, why didn't you shoot me?" Despite her smile, the girl had recovered her seriousness but there was also something grim and unyielding about her. And her piercing amber eyes seemed to see right through him. He could not answer to that. And as she understood that, after a few seconds, she added "Well, technically I guess I am, but I don't have a soldier's mindset at all. I dislike orders and restrictions, especially when I judge them unnecessary or they go against my principles." She boasted, her hands on her hips and her nose in the air.

"So that side of you hasn't changed." Athrun finally cracked a small but sincere smile. He returned his gun to his holster.

"Of course, I'll always be me." Seren beamed after seeing that smile she had missed so much. The boy could only start to imagine the trouble she had caused her superiors. His childhood friend was one to do as she liked while soldiers were required to do as they were told and refrain from unauthorized actions. And again she bragged about it. But as she said, she was not a pretty doll, nor was she a puppet or a tool for war.

"Where did we lose her? Any communication?" Captain Ramius asked urgently.

"It's no good! There's a great amount of disturbance on the radar!" Miriallia answered. Tonomura could only confirm that she had left the battle area. Cagalli had returned a little while ago and told her all she knew but even that hadn't been enough. Natarle coldly suggested listing Ashford as MIA. Sai asked what it meant. When he was told that it stood for 'Missing In Action' and referred to when a soldier went missing during a battle, and that it was a way of saying 'probably killed in action but not confirmed', both he and Milly gasped fearfully. But they were reassured when they heard Murrue.

"I think you're jumping to conclusion, Badgiruel-chuii. We don't know that she's been shot down. In fact, given her skills, it would be rather doubtful. How much time before sunset?" The captain questioned. Miriallia replied that about an hour was left before sunset.

"Do you plan to look for her?! This is ZAFT territory!" Badgiruel retorted, appaled. Her superior seemed to have forgotten that the Indian Ocean was under enemy control.

"It'll be difficult to look for her from the air. Once we complete the Strike's simple maintenance and replenishment, we'll have it search underwater."

"Kanchou!"

"Write whatever you want in your damn reports or notes or whatever!" Ramius snapped back, shocking her second in command. Due to her overly strict adherence to the rules, Natarle tended to forget the human side of the war, she tended to forget about feelings, compassion, how to care for others, starting with one's subordinates, and how, despite everything, Seren and the others were still children without any training. And that side of her vice-captain could really annoy Murrue sometimes. But there was something else. "I cannot give up... on her..."

"Archangel, do you hear me? Archangel? Strike? Do you hear me, Kira? Stupid Kira? Idiot Kira? Lieutenant Commander Featherbrain?" Seren tried again. Who knows, they might be keeping quiet to give her a scare, in which case she needed to prick them. But again, only static interference came out of the radio of the Blast. She activated the distress signal and sent a distress beacon into the sea before heaving a sigh, taking her bag and coming out. She had completely unzipped the top of her suit. She returned to the Aegis whose pilot didn't have more luck than her in contacting comrades. He joined her down. They were definitely stranded on this island. They had also confirmed that they were the only two humans present here. "By the way as a proper soldier, are you sure it's alright for you not to kill me or tie me up and capture me?"

"I... don't want to kill you, and you know that. Would you let me tie you up?"

"No."

"See? And fighting you would be bone-breaking." Athrun smiled again. The girl averted her eyes and called him an idiot. "Or maybe you wanted me to capture you?"

"I-it isn't night yet, stop daydreaming you moron." Seren stammered slightly, a light blush coloring her cheeks. "And just so you know, even if you search me, you won't find any weapon so don't even think about it."

"I know! I wasn't thinking about that!" The young man shot back. It was his turn to be flustered. A body search... but that was Seren... it was not only that there was simply no need to search her... he just couldn't, and felt he shouldn't... for several confuse reasons... "But..." He trailed off after a time. "Don't you think it might be dangerous for you to be too honest?"

His childhood friend walked up to him and lightly hit his chest with the back of her fist.

"I'm no longer a child. I think I can properly judge in which cases I can be honest and in which cases I can't. But thank you, for worrying about me." She smiled. And her beautiful and cloudless smile made his heart ache.

"I'm sure a distress signal has been sent. But it's useless when the airwaves are in such a terrible condition. There are numerous small uninhabited islands in the vicinity so it possible that she landed on one." Badgiruel presented the situation to Kira who was activating the Strike. He answered by the affirmative. The captain apologized for asking him such a thing after this hectic day as he must be exhausted. It was already sunset. The boy told her it was not a problem. He felt fine. And if she hadn't asked him, he would have asked her for permission to go. Actually, Cagalli had also asked her for authorization to look for Seren too since she felt responsible for what had happened but of course, she had been turned down. Skygrasper 001 still needed to be resupplied and was for Mu La Flaga's use and Skygrasper 002 could not be repaired so quickly. And since then she had been pacing back and forth in the hangar and entrusted all her hopes to Kira and ordered him to find her no matter what.

Though of course, he didn't need anyone to tell him anything. Seren was his childhood friend. Given the bond they shared, certainly no one on this ship could be more worried about her than he was. He was also warned to return after two hours if he was unable to find any leads. If they had nothing by then... they would consider a Plan B... although Ramius-san sounded like she was rather reluctant to take that possibility into account. La Flaga was sitting in the hangar, his arms behind his head, and intently watching the repairs and adjustments on his skygrasper... and sighing and slumping, obviously annoyed at the time the mechanics were taking. Sai, Tolle, Milly, and Kuzzey were in the dining room, just sitting, discussing, trying to dissipate the anxiousness of the wait. And Flay was picking her beauty products. Kira reassured the captain. She also reminded him it was crucial for everyone that he got sufficient rest (as he wouldn't be able to fight well if they were attacked while he was exhausted). So she insisted that he returned after two hours. He launched into the gold and orange sky and plunged in the water of the same color.

At the ZAFT base of Carpentaria, Nicol and Dearka were waiting in a lounge. Nicol was looking out the window and Dearka was sitting on a sofa and reading when Yzak entered. The youngest Red Coat pressingly asked him about Athrun's whereabouts.

"Members of the Zala Team!" Yzak started, his tone mockingly ceremonious as he shifted slightly into a solemn pose. "Now I wish to give you an update on this honorable team's first mission. There could be no mission more important." He stalled for more suspense. "We are to search for our leader!" He grinned derisively at the ludicrousness of the situation. Dearka burst out laughing, of the same opinion as his long time friend. Only Nicol frowned that these two didn't seem the least bit worried about their missing comrade. "Well, I guess it can't be helped since his carrier was shot down... but it happens that headquarters is far too busy to give us a hand. So they're telling us to look for our leader on our own."

"Boy, what a great start for our team!" The blonde one commented ironically, and light-heartedly.

"That said, the sun is about to set. We'll begin our search tomorrow." Joule concluded unconcernedly.

"You must be kidding!" Nicol retorted. Dearka reminded him he was in the Aegis. Even if he had been shot down, there was no need to worry much. It was not as if he had fallen into the Earth's atmosphere...

"So there you have it. We'll stay over tonight in the barracks. I'm told that the carrier should be ready to sail tomorrow so we'll begin our search then." Yzak left with these words. Nicol turned heels too. More than his allies' indifference, he disliked the fact that they seemed to almost enjoy the situation.

Athrun was again trying – in vain – to get something from the radio and shooting his own distress beacon into the sea when he was called by Seren. Chacha was no longer with her. She had surely left him in the Blast. Apparently, she had something to show him. He joined her at the edge. She was looking down at the shallow waters below. She had removed the top of her pilot suit whose arms she had tied around her waist so it wouldn't dangle down her legs. But she was still wearing the standard white t-shirt with pink trims for female Earth Alliance soldiers. She pointed and he looked in the direction... only to find himself suddenly falling after being tripped and pushed down by the girl next to him. There was a loud splash. Seren burst out laughing. How long had it been since she had last laughed from her heart, she could not tell. The water was only knee-deep, but the hole was waist high.

She was still laughing when he stood up and asked her what it was about, trying (and failing) to sound angry. She teased him. She thought she'd test the elite ZAFT soldier see what he was made of, but she had never thought she'd be able to trick him so easily, but just as she said that, Athrun grabbed her wrist and pulled. Instinctively, Seren lowered her center of gravity but could only last so long. He yanked her, she fell on him and he fell backwards in the water. Athrun sat up on the polished rock, one hand placed behind him to support their weight, his left arm around Seren's waist and her hands on his shoulders, and her knees on either side of his right leg. The young woman raised herself on her knees and asked if he was alright. He blushed, looked away and stammered an answer. It was when she saw his reaction that she noticed that the water had soaked through her white T-shirt, making her underwear visible... and also that her chest was a little close to his face for comfort... she had been leaning too far! The girl felt her cheeks burn and she jumped away.

"It's your fault for pulling me."

"It's your fault for teasing me."

"So you say but you didn't seem to mind it much."

"T-that's-"

"Well, it's fine if you forget everything." She suddenly smiled and pretended to drown him. They wrestled a bit in the water until she noticed she had lost her pendant and panicked. It was something very precious to her. She searched frantically, even in the deeper waters, but it was Athrun who found it, and also told her that instead of her necklace a crab had gotten into her clothes. Seren pulled up her T-shirt and indeed a crab fell down. But then Athrun blushed again... and noticed that, the girl quickly pulled her T-shirt down. She had let her guard down again... she should be more careful. He returned her pendant to her. But now there was something else besides the stone that was attached to it. It looked like a tiny, tiny but thick little book. He turned around and all stiff, started walking away... right, she might be his childhood friend, but she was no child. They were no longer children. And he was so awkward and flustered that he fell again. And despite her own embarrassment, Seren could not help but giggle and help him up. It was then they heard thunder and felt droplets. They looked at the cloudy sky. It had started raining. A squall, huh? No wonder it was so hard to get a signal. They noticed they were still holding hands and quickly pulled away. The girl climbed back up and over an elevation and just stood there, her eyes closed, her face to the sky, letting the rain wash her. But as there was a long silence and Athrun had still not moved, she called him.

"What are you doing? Come back here. Don't you want to get rid of this sand too?"

"Eh? Ah... yeah..." The boy snapped back to reality. He scratched the back of his head, obviously troubled, before climbing back up too. He had no idea that her form, her profile soaked in the rain, her expressions... could be so enticing.

Night had completely fallen. The Strike was still swimming at the surface of the ocean. Kira looked at the time as another minute ticked by. The clock now showed 21:09. And still no sign of Seren. Where could she have fallen?! Memories of her were tugging at his mind and his heart tightened before he shook his head. She was definitely alright.

The two stranded Coordinators had taken refuge in a cave close to the Aegis. Athrun had started a fire and given Seren a blanket as her pilot suit and T-shirt were hanging on a branch to dry. She was sitting on a rock, hypnotized by the fire. He had insisted on it even though she had told him she wouldn't catch a cold from that. She was a Coordinator too after all. But he was a gentleman in strange ways. So now she had her fitness bra and shorts and that blanket. He handed her a mug and food and she thanked him. It was simpler using his provisions than return to the Blast to take hers. And he also told her that since the airwaves were jammed they would certainly have to spend the night here.

"It's ironic isn't it? Since ZAFT is responsible for that, and you're also suffering from the consequences..." Seren remarked, her tone slightly biting.

"Weren't those measures taken because of the nuclear attack by the Earth Forces?" The soldier reminded her. At this, Seren hung her head. She knew what he had lost during that nuclear attack. And she felt guilty for having brought back painful memories. These last hours had been like a dream, like there was no war, like things had gone back to the way they were before, or to how they should be... And it was a dream she never wanted to wake up from. But she knew it was impossible. In that case she had no choice but to trudge forward through that road of thorns... And so, when she raised her amber eyes again, their moist glistening had been replaced by a determined light.

"Then, what would you do if I stole your gun?" She asked gravely. Athrun sharply turned his head towards her. And he saw how serious she was and curled his fists.

"Don't. If you did that, I'd have no choice but to kill you." He answered her just as seriously, but sounding extremely sad and weary. She kept staring at him with her piercing amber eyes and emotionless expression. "You must understand me... I'm a ZAFT soldier now, and you're part of the Earth Alliance... you've survived all this time too since Heliopolis... don't make me kill you..." There was now a pleading edge in his tone.

"Right... Heliopolis..."

"...We never thought something like that could happen either. Those Earth Forces mobile suits developed by Morgenroete... we were to take them and leave. Nothing more was supposed to happen." He sat down opposite her, against the other side of the cave.

"You attacked. You forced us to defend ourselves. Kira and I, as Coordinators, were the only ones who could use those things. We had to kill so your friends wouldn't kill us. Or should we just have let you guys shot us down? And then was it necessary to return with those heavy armaments? Was the destruction of one ship and two mobile suits worth the risk losing a whole colony?"

"Shouldn't you know it best, you who pilot the Blast?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. You remember the original OS. There was no way Naturals could have piloted those things. If you didn't shoot first, there would have been no need for us to shoot back. Kira and I wouldn't have had to pilot them. And I must correct you. We may be wearing the Earth Forces uniform now but my true loyalty lies with Orb. The Earth Alliance and ZAFT are wrong, and I know Orb was wrong too. But I don't want you to blame the whole country of Orb, my country, just because of the selfish actions of a few individuals who betrayed their nation's ideals. In the end, everyone's just thinking of protecting their homes. In that case why are there always people who try to take from others?"

"You know that it was the Naturals who began, because they can't understand us, they fear us and one-sidedly try to destroy us! It's not that we may pose a threat... they see our existence itself as a threat! And if not a threat then nothing more than a tool! You should know that already because of what happened to your mother and you've surely experienced that in the Earth Alliance!"

"...Yes..." The female Coordinator trailed off pensively, remembering as if it were yesterday her first welcome aboard the Archangel when she had been this close to being shot down, and also how Flay had treated her and Lacus, and how she had been regarded at Artemis.

"Then why?! Why do you stay there?! Come back with me! If it's you then surely..." Athrun had unconsciously leant forward in his eagerness and intense and poignant earnestness. Seren closed her eyes. She perfectly recalled having threatened Kira that she would defect to ZAFT. Back then she had mostly wanted to shock him, to evoke something. But now that was actually being presented with the possibility...

"There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." Seren quoted with a sad smile.

"Stop that. I'm not Horatio, and you're not Hamlet. And I don't want you quoting that play." The young man calmed down and looked away, obviously upset.

"Why? Because it's so old and outdated? Even if you say that, it's still one of the most powerful and influential classics."

"That's not it. I don't want you quoting a tragedy now. A context in which I'd cause your death, and Kira and I would end up killing each other because of that... don't you think that given our present situation, that possibility is too close to becoming reality? It's not something you should laugh about."

"It's true that Kira and I have a siblings-like relationship but we're not siblings, I'm not like Ophelia, and our relation is also different from that of Hamlet and Ophelia, right?" The girl laughed before finishing seriously, as if testing Athrun again. The boy kept quiet. She sighed. "Then what about that: 'Now my charms are all o'erthrown, and what strength I have's mine own, which is most faint. Now, 'tis true I must be here confined by you, or sent to Naples. As you, from your crimes would be pardoned, let your indulgence set me free.'"

"That is..?"

"The Tempest. Even though it's also a story about revenge, in the end, everything is well, and all is forgiven."

"Is that kind of thing really possible?"

"I want to believe it is. But again, in this play, nobody really dies, so I can't really say. A man who has had his dukedom usurped by his brother is stranded on an island with his daughter. After 12 years, a boat with the King of Naples, the prince, the traitorous brother, and others sails close and gets shipwrecked by a storm caused by the man's magic and although many believed their loved ones had died, in fact they had all been dispersed around the island. The prince and the daughter fall in love. The man makes everyone go through different trials that were cleared. And then, everything comes to light, is forgiven and the man abandons his magic to return to his dukedom and the couple will eventually marry."

"That's a beautiful story."

"Because it delivers a beautiful message: in order to achieve peace and happiness, we must lay down our weapons and forgive, without burdening our rememberance with a heaviness that's gone."

"But people can't do that. That's why this war continues." Athrun argued. Seren remained silent for a time.

"Then, do you want me to tell you another story? Do you want to know? What happened to us...to Kira and me...?" The girl smiled sadly and went to sit next to her childhood friend. She unfastened the tiny book and gave it to him. It was a mini photo album with pictures from her family, from her childhood on the moon with Kira and him and her time in Heliopolis with Kira, Tolle, Miriallia, Sai, and Kuzzey. She told him how she, Kira, and their friends, engineering students had been involved in the battle when ZAFT had attacked Heliopolis. She told him how they had been forced to board the Archangel after having seen what they shouldn't have, how Kira and her had been forced to fight after as mobile suits pilots in order to protect themselves and everyone and how their friends had decided to participate in order to support them, to lessen their burden. She told him how the people of the Archangel were different from the rest of the Earth Alliance, from the people at Artemis, or others from the Atlantic Federation, and that certainly, the same thing could have been expected from the 8th Fleet, from the Rear Admiral Halberton, since the ship captain had learned from him. And she also said that the shuttle the Duel had destroyed didn't transport soldiers but Heliopolis refugees Kira had picked up after the collapse of the colony since their propulsion had been damaged. However, Seren wasn't saying all that to make him feel guilty or anything. She knew of his mother, of Junius 7, she understood his reasons for fighting, so she wanted him to understand why she was fighting too, even against him, and why she could not back down. He gave her back the photo album she fastened again.

"We should stop talking about things like that if it's not gonna change a thing no matter what we say." He closed his eyes and stayed like this for a time.

"You look really worn out." The girl remarked.

"I could say the same about you." Zala replied as he stared back at her. After having replayed the scene so many times in his mind, he could perfectly remember how Seren looked back then. She had been every bit as fine, beautiful, healthy and radiant as he had expected and hoped her to be. And she still was in a way. But now war had obviously taken its toll on her... "Sorry..." He apologised as he leant on her shoulder.

"Eh?" The young woman asked, unsure whether he was apologizing for the sudden intimacy, or for having thrown her into war... or both... and not knowing either just what kind of feeling she had seen in his green eyes.

"It's just... after my descent... the immediate transfert..." And he really fell asleep. She just couldn't believe it. Just how defenseless could he be? Or was it because it was her, and he still trusted her? Should she rejoice? Or be sad as it would certainly cause him pain in the future? No, she could not deny it... deep inside, she was... happy.

"Like I said I'm alright! I rested like I was told!" Kira defended himself. La Flaga was having a hard time dragging him from the Strike he was about to board before being stopped. They were on the causeway before its cockpit.

"What do you mean you're alright?! You can hardly call lying down for one hour while on alert a decent rest! Besides you ignored the captain's orders to return on schedule!"

"But...!" The teen looked at the Strike and again memories of Seren flooded his mind.

"The sun should be up in another five hours. I'll go too and search for her then. I understand your feelings but we're counting on you."

"No you don't understand! She... she... Anyway I've got to go!"

"I can't stand it either. I feel ashamed. And the girlie is the same." The man clamped his shoulder. "After having you do everything, I'm hardly in a position to tell you... but try not to do everything yourself. Seren's a strong and smart girl. Once the sun's up I'm sure we'll find her. It's gonna be alright."

Seren stared at Athrun's sleeping face on her shoulder. She could hear him breathing, see his chest heaving regularly, feel his heat. He was close, so close... and then, her eyes fell on the gun at his waist...

_"We're under attack by ZAFT! Mobile suits have entered the colony!" _ She could remember him wearing that very same red and charging at her with his knife to kill her and stopping himself.

_"I can't let you guys use it to cause more destruction and suffering like you did today! And whatever you say, I believe in Orb. Some people might have succumbed to pressure from the Earth Alliance... But I still believe in the Orb Union and what it represents! I still believe that Coordinators and Naturals can live in peace! That's why I don't want to fight you guys... and you Athrun least of all!"_

_"Don't be so naïve! This is war! And you belong with us! Come with me... if you don't... don't force me to shoot you! I already lost my mother in Junius 7...I don't want to lose you too!"_

_"And you, do you really understand what you're asking of us, trying to make us choose between our families and friends and you?!" _

_"We're also your family, and I'm also your friend!" The ZAFT pilot retorted._

_"Then stop that! If you attack, it's obvious we'll have to defend ourselves!"_

_"Sorry... as long as you guys insist on sinking the Archangel and the Strike... in order to protect them, to protect my friends... I will have no choice but to fight!" _

_"Then it can't be helped. The next time we battle, I will shoot you!"_

_"Then, what would you do if I stole your gun?"_

_"Don't. If you did that, I'd have no choice but to kill you. You must understand me... I'm a ZAFT soldier now, and you're part of the Earth Alliance... you've survived all this time too since Heliopolis... don't make me kill you..."_

She felt her heart rate increase, she felt her throat tighten, she felt her eyes moisten again... she closed them and her hands curled into fists. She calmed down, recovered her control, and steeled herself. She saw Athrun's eyes flutter open. She had to act now. Seren grabbed the gun and threw the blanket on Athrun who was completely awake now. She jumped to the opposite side of the cave and removed the firearm's security while he disentangled himself. She aimed the gun at him.

"Seren!" Athrun took his knife and menaced her. But innerly he was berating her for her stupidity. Even though he had warned her, why did she have to do that?! Why did she have to corner him like this?!

"I have no intention to shoot, only to take you back but it doesn't look like you'd allow that. I want to take you back even by force. It's my first time touching a handgun but I'm willing to risk anything. In that case, will you consider me as your enemy? Will you kill me?" However, even though Seren was keeping a straight face, her hands were trembling. And that did not escape the Red Coat's eyes.

"Seren, I am a ZAFT soldier now. I cannot allow you to capture me or to touch the Aegis... I will... kill you..." Athrun affirmed strongly. And indeed the girl could see his determination, but she could also see his eyes glistening and hear his heart breaking even as he said that.

"Is that so..." A derisive smile curved her lips, as if saying 'so our bond only amounts to that much huh?' but both knew that smile equaled a million tears.

"You must understand... right now... that's..." The man tried to speak but was unable to. His chest hurt so much he could hardly breathe. He sounded so desperate.

"Then shouldn't you have killed me at Heliopolis!? Shouldn't you have killed me when you saw me earlier!?" Seren remembered Andrew Waltfeld's words. "As long as we are both mobile suit pilots, will we be enemies!? Is there really no other option but for one of us to be destroyed?! And after you kill me what will you do? Will you kill Kira too, and everyone I tried to protect? Or will you let Kira kill you?" She cried, her tears threatening to fall at a second's notice. For them both, no laceration or bullet wound could be more agonizingly painful than what they were enduring now. "But you know... there's another option, a way so that we won't have to kill other. You will be rid of an enemy without dirtying your hands." She smiled and aimed at her temple. Athrun's heart stopped and his green eyes widened in fear and horror as he jumped on her and pinned her down.

"How can you be so stupid?! What kind of idiot smiles in that situation?! How dare you do that in front of me?! How dare you give up like this?! I told you I don't want a tragedy! Shouldn't you be holding onto the slightest hope, the slightest chance, and live?!" He scolded her for her foolish acts.

"What are you so angry for? I am an enemy, if I fight for survival, I may kill one of your friends, because if I don't kill them, they will kill me, or one of my friends could be killed by them. And if I kill them, you'll try to kill me. It would be best for you if I died now, right?" Seren reasoned, so cold and yet so rational. Her words, her gaze, possessing the grimness of infallibility, could freeze someone's heart. And still...

"... Or you may not kill them, and still manage to protect... whether by my hand or yours... I don't want you to die. If you have the slightest clue how that'd break me, don't do that ever again... stay alive..." He whispered softly. His head downcast, his hair hiding his face, it was impossible to read his expression. But his pleading and desperate voice was more than enough.

"Sorry... but I'm so glad... even now Athrun is still Athrun after all." Seren sobbed. And Athrun's breath was taken away by the tears of sheer relief and happiness in her disarmingly earnest eyes. He was being captivated. He could not look away. He wanted to be enveloped in their light. And he was irresistibly drawn in. He lifted her in his arms and held her tight. It seemed like she knew after all that he would save her, that he wouldn't be able to help it. Even now she still trusted him, believed in him, in their bond, she cared so much about him as much as he cared about her; she... still...

He pulled away just enough to see her face, her lovely face, he caressed her damp cheeks, wiping her tears, clearing a few strands of hair. And looking at his expression, at the way he was gazing at her with such overwhelming tenderness, such...

One hand stopped on her jawbone, his thumb on her cheek, the other slid down and behind her neck. He brought her closer as he slowly, agonizingly slowly leant in, as if trying not to tear the fabric of this terrifyingly fragile and wonderful dream. They closed their eyes. But just a second before their lips touched, they were scared by a noise and quickly withdrew. Chacha flew inbetween them and chittered before going to hide into the blanket. Athrun sighed. The two Coordinators looked at each other and, embarrassed, turned the other way. The ZAFT soldier was sitting one knee raised, his other leg folded under it while the EA pilot was sitting on her shins.

"By the way, how is your fiancée?" Seren inquired. The boy jolted before looking down.

"...Lacus is doing fine. She misses you."

"Oh. She's a really great girl."

"...Yeah..." Athrun replied with the same casual and timid tone with a guilty edge. He had understood her message. Seren really liked Lacus and didn't want to betray her. They shouldn't betray her. No, by all means, what they were doing was wrong, but...

It was then he noticed the absence of the magazine in his gun. He took his weapon and checked again. Seren told him to look in the blanket. He went to pick it up and both Chacha and the magazine fell down. So she had removed it while he had been entangled in the blanket...

"So that was why there was no gunshot even though it had an open bolt. You tricked me."

"Only an idiot would choose death, right? I told you, I'm not Ophelia. I'd be too worried about those I'd leave behind that I'd never be able to rest in peace. And... I didn't want to hurt you... I want to do everything I can possibly do. But our words, and our feelings... those were real... weren't they?" She said softly, still fixed on the ground. Athrun gazed intently at her. The nape of her neck, revealed by her parted hair, her shoulders, her back... they suddenly appeared so small... her naturally slender built usually appeared more imposing due to her strong personality but now she was looking so frail... so frail that he wanted to embrace her, protect her... He remembered their words, but even more strongly, he remembered his feelings and her words about wanting to bring him back no matter what. Right, all those had been real, and nothing could change that... or the fact that he shared her sentiment. And he also thought of Lacus and recalled her words...

_"Did you want her to turn to you more often, to follow you and take care of you?"_

_"When I told Seren-sama that we were fiancés, she hugged me very tightly, and she asked me, she begged me to take care of you, to be your ally no matter what. And she... was trembling."_

_"She really cares a lot about you... But I have a feeling it's different from the way she cares about Kira-sama."_

_"You... also have someone you care about a lot, in a different way that the way you care about me, don't you?"_

And Athrun remembered Seren asking if it was alright for him not to tie her up to capture her. And so he hugged her from behind, really tight.

"Maybe I should tie you up and take you back with me after all."

"Idiot." Then she turned and kissed him on the cheek. "I never once considered you an enemy." She still remembered their promise to always be friends and still held onto it now. And Athrun was also reminded of this promise from when they were children. But now they were no longer children... He looked down and his eyes fell on her very feminine attributes. Right, she was no longer a child. Even if she was slender, there was no doubt that she was had become a full and splendid woman in every sense. And he blushed and told her that she should cover herself first. The girl blushed too, put on her T-shirt which was dry but not yet her pilot suit. She then felt a blanket on her shoulders, as well as Athrun's arm, although he wasn't looking at her, she could make out his awkward smile. She repeated that as a Coordinator she wouldn't fall ill from this and he replied that it was fine. And his left arm still secured around her shoulders he made her sit down next to him at his left, her back partly leaning against his bust, her head on his shoulder, against his neck. His chin resting on her brown head, his right arm wrapped around her waist. She was gently cradled, tightly locked in his embrace.

"Wait, what if I try something again?" She shifted slightly to look at him in the eyes, her left hand on his chest.

"I don't think you'll pull another stunt."

"No, we really shouldn't..."

"I told you it's fine."

"But-"

"I'm telling you this much is fine. Weren't you the one who meant that we're still friends by that earlier?"

"That's..."

"It's fine. Don't make me repeat myself again."

And Seren gave in. She let him draw her closer, in a snugger and more intimate position. Why couldn't she be more forceful and firm in her refusal?! No, in fact she already knew the answer. Any girl would. The only reason why even someone of reason and integrity like her could be unable to put up a decent protest... Anyone would want to touch the person they...

She remembered this second when their lips almost met... If they really were nothing more than friends she wouldn't say anything, but... that was wrong. She was no better than Kira...

_"Athrun Zala is the person I will eventually marry."_

And a tear of guilt rolled down the girl's cheek as she buried her face in his chest.

At dawn, Nicol left Carpentaria in a helicopter. Kira and La Flaga also took off from the Archangel at the same time. Some time later, Athrun woke up to his wrist'watch' beeping. Seren was nowhere to be seen. He ran to the open of the Aegis and pressed a few buttons and sat down.

"Ath-Athrun... can... hear... respond..."

"Nicol?!" He yelled after having heard his friend's intermittent signal.

"Athrun! What a relief! We'll get your position from the transmission!"

The boy sighed, relieved, before his distress beacon detected something from the sea. And soon enough, Seren came back running with Chacha flying ahead of her. Both pilots had fully dressed themselves in their suits before falling asleep. She had contacted Kira, and another of her allies. He told her that rescue was coming from his side too. They would both have to hide their units and wait and see. They'd be better off avoiding battle at a place like this. He asked her what she was going to do but she had no idea. It was not like she could predict much as each battle could affect everything. She'd like to go to Orb, but she was afraid the Orb army would shoot the Archangel since it was officially an Earth Alliance warship. She really didn't feel well about their current destination but she also didn't feel like she could just desert them. For now she had to return to the Archangel. There were people waiting for her and she had to protect them and this ship. They were so different from everyone else in the Earth forces she felt that they could change things.

"Athrun, earlier, you said that because people can't lay down their weapons, let go of their darkness and forgive, there is still war. But that doesn't mean we have to be the same. We don't have to follow their lead. I don't intend to remain an actor in the script someone else made forever. This script that says the Earth and PLANTs must keep fighting, that makes us keep fighting... what I want can be found neither in ZAFT nor in the EA. That is the wish for coexistence, that spirit that exists in Orb. I met people from all sides who made me believe it was possible, if only the war between Earth and the PLANTs could be stopped. I know it's still just a dream for now and even though I don't know how yet, I want to make it a reality even if I must spend all my lifetime on it. This is something one must decide for oneself but... I hope that when the time comes, you'll help me fulfill it." She smiled softly.

"It'd be nice..." He smiled back.

"But until then, see you on the battlefield."

"Yeah." The boy agreed. Seren left. Both had mixed feelings. Athrun was sad, even though Seren was not a soldier... she had been forced to pilot a war machine and handle a gun, even as she was crying... same for Kira...

Soon, Seren reached the other side of the island, and she saw the Strike's head and shoulder over the water.

"Kira!" She beamed, running down the beach.

* * *

With merely an embrace, we know the meaning of loving. Eyes that are too bright tempt us to quit and entrust ourselves to them. But even if we plead with all we have, there is no way that time will stop. "I have to go." Emotions overflow, tears overflow. Because our wish could not be granted, at least we wanted to try to keep each other warm. But although we cannot wish "beyond now", the gears that have started moving probably can longer be stopped.

* * *

**Author's note: a chapter many of you must have been looking forward too :3 Were you disappointed? happy? frustrated? Next chapter, you'll get to read something interesting again. You'll 'see' members of Seren's family. And for those who still don't know, I've put a mini progress report thingy on my profile. **


	24. The country of peace

**Phase-24: The country of peace**

The Buster combined its gun launcher and beam rifle into a sniper rifle and shot the Archangel that evaded. The powerful beam nonetheless grazed the ship below its right Gottfried cannons. The ship shook. The Valiant and Wombat fired on Natarle's orders. The Blast launched its cluster bombs and fired its rifle and Lanze. It had donned its Blast Away pack (minus the "Siegfried" 300mm cannon) with of course the storm mobility pack. The four units dispersed and shot.

On March the 15th, Archangel had passed the Malaysian peninsula and sailed into the waters of what had been called Indonesia and which was part of the neutral Equatorial Union. This union also included India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Phillipines, Papua New Guinea and other little islands. And it was largely neutral because its military was not worth incorporating as it had no space forces or mobile weapons. Now it was March 25th. And those four, along with other Carpentaria forces had been hounding their prey for days on end and managed to divert its course and make it sail significantly farther south than its intended route. The Ashitsuki's left side was already damaged and smoking. The Blast went to block the beams of the Aegis and shoot it back. The Duel fired the missiles of its Assault Shroud and the ship retaliated with the Igelstellung.

"What are you doing, Dearka?! Stop that ship already!" Yzak barked.

"I know!" Dearka retorted, firing his 94mm high energy rifle he had separated from the shotgun. Kira kept shooting relentlessly, trying to keep the enemy at bay but he was stuck on the Archangel's deck while the ZAFT units were mounted on Guuls, highly increasing their mobility. However, when it came to mobility, Seren didn't lose to them and the enemy was having the hardest time dodging her. They couldn't relax for a second. La Flaga roared and fired the Agni cannon but missed the Buster. The ship launched more missiles but they were detonated. Athrun warned Yzak not to get too close and was told to shut up. However, commander Zala paid no mind.

"Aim at the engines! Nicol, go around them from the left!" He ordered.

"Yes!" Nicol replied and approached the Legged Ship from behind. The Aegis attacked from the front. It dived down.

_As long as we sink this ship...! _It was this ship that kept Seren and Kira chained to the Earth Alliance. It was fine if the crew escaped. As long as he sunk that ship... if they no longer had that ship to protect, then they would no longer have to fight... as long as he severed that connection, Seren would be free, and Kira too... Athrun dived and shot the CIWS guns on the side. As he passed by the deck, he and Kira glared at each other. The Blitz fired the three lancer darts of its Trikeros offensive shield. Seren managed to detonate two explosive rocket-propelled shafts with her Vulcan gun and Igelstellung but one still pierced a Valiant linear cannon which exploded, killing a number of crew members, and fell down in the sea. The vessel shook. Inside, in a hallway, Cagalli held herself against a wall. The Blast charged and shot the Blitz but while the black unit could defend against the beams, it could not avoid being deeply gashed by the enemy's Schwert Gewehr Lanze. However, the red machine came to its help and pushed back the EA mobile suit. The shoot-out continued. And the Archangel was a in a disadvantageous position. In the bridge, the CIC reported the most recent damage. Igelstellung 4 and 5 had been hit! Damage rate had exceeded 25%!

"The Aegis and the Blitz are approaching!"

"Aim Wombats! Target the Guuls! Tell the Strike and the Blast to do the same!" Natarle ordered.

"Guuls, is it?" Haw-nittohei inquired.

"Those things the mobile suits are riding on!" Tonomura retorted.

"R-right!"

"Fire!" The wombats launched, destroying missiles from the Duel and Buster, although some still hit the ship.

"Damn! Who would've imagined they'd come this far after us?! Those bastards!" Tolle cursed. But then he thought of the Blast's pilot and what she had said when Kuzzey had asked her about the probality of going to Orb... "No, forget it, that girl did!" The Archangel kept being hit. Kuzzey was holding his head in fear. The Aegis detonated more missiles and avoided the Strike's beams. He shot back. But as Kira was concentrating on him, the Duel charged.

"Stay back, Athrun! I'll get this guy!" Yzak shouted.

"Yzak, don't be reckless!" Zala warned him. Kira blocked the beam with his shield, locked on the Duel's Guul and fired, destroying it. Joule took his beam saber and let himself fall. This way, he'd land on the Archangel.

"Is he going to cling on?!" Yamato exclaimed. He put his rifle down and leapt. He gripped his own beam saber. They clashed. Yzak's saber was sliced at the hilt, right above the Duel's hand, to his shock. Kira did a back flip and stomped on the Duel's back, slamming it down. Its pilot cursed, turned around and fired his linear cannon before falling into the sea. Nicol yelled Yzak's name. The Blitz sped towards them. Kira saw it, but also the Blast, Svalinn shield in front, rushing to the Blitz. Nicol screamed as the X216 rammed into him and he was knocked over. Seren jabbed the Guul and leapt before it exploded. Athrun screamed Nicol's name and fired. The Blast shielded itself as it charged at him but he skillfully maneuvered to maintain distance. However, she still managed to hit the tip of the right wing of his Guul. Kira had already returned on the Archangel, and retrieved his rifle.

_You've improved so much, Kira, Seren... _

However, unknowingly, they were all being watched by a drone from Orb, and war vessels and helicopters from the Orb army were closing in! And this drone was transmitting the footage to the population...

"What you are seeing now are the live images of a battle taking place only 20 kilometres outside our territorial waters. The government is taking precautionary measures to prepare for possible attack and has already dispached our forces to the area as well as called an emergency meeting to discuss this matter. They have also contacted ZAFT's Carpentaria base and the Earth Forces' headquarters in Panama to condemn those actions and ordered the immediate withdrawal of their troops from the area." A journalist informed. The civilians were all talking worriedly as they were watching the images of the battle happening so close to their homes. The same images were playing in the Government Official Residence where the council members and their assistants had gathered in a meeting room to face this crisis.

"Uzumi-sama..."

"Should we make an exception to our stance against armed ships approaching our territorial waters without authorization, Representative Homura?" Uzumi-sama suggested. Although of course, it was actually an order.

"No... but..."

"In which case, I don't believe the live broadcast is helping anyone."

"You're right." Homura turned to one of his assistants.

Cagalli cursed as she climbed in an elevator. Her guardian caught up with her and stopped her, asking her what she intended to do. She broke free.

"Let go! At this rate we'll end up sinking, even though we're right by Orb! I can't! I can't let this happen!" She yelled as the door closed. "Damn it!" She swore again as she punched the wall with the side of her fist. The two fighting factions detected the approach of the Orb forces. Kuzzey lit up, foolishly thinking they had come to the Archangel's rescue.

"We're too close to their territory! Bear port 15!" Ramius instructed. Tolle and Kuzzey were shocked. Neumann too protested. He thought that changing course was more dangerous than continueing. "If we get any closer, they'll fire at us! Orb is not an ally! It may be fine during peacetime but in these circumstances...!"

"Nevermind!" Cagalli disputed. She and Kisaka had just entered the bridge. "Head into their territorial waters! I'll talk to Orb! Hurry!" She jumped to the captain's side.

"Cagalli-san..." Ramius whispered. The CIC informed them about a communication from the Orb fleet.

"This is a warning to the Earth forces' ship and the ZAFT forces currently approaching! You are currently approaching the territory of the Orb Union! Alter your course at once! As a neutral nation we strictly prohibit trespassing into our territory by any armed ship, aircraft, or mobile suit! Alter your course at once!"

"What is he daydreaming for?" Yzak scoffed, smirking. Athrun looked troubled.

"I repeat! Alter your course at once! This is your final warning. Should you fail to change your course according to this warning, we will exercise our right to defend our nation and open fire against you!"

"Open fire... against us too?" Kuzzey whimpered again. Even though they were the victims here, even though they were about to get killed, Orb would open fire against them too?! "No way..." He held his head in his hands again. Cagalli scowled.

"What do you mean, neutral? The Archangel was made by Orb." Chandra noted the irony and absurdity of their situation.

"Nevermind! Proceed into their territory!" The blonde girl insisted. She climbed back up to Kuzzey's seat and took his earpiece. "How can you possibly say that after observing our situation?! Archangel will proceed into Orb territorial waters! But do not open fire!"

"Wh-who are you?!"

"And you, who are you?! If you lack the authority to make the proper decision, then connect me to the government! Get my father... Uzumi Nara Athha on the line!" She screamed with tears in her eyes. "I am... I am Cagalli Yula Athha!" She affirmed, shocking everyone. Athha... was the name of the Chief Representative... Seren sighed.

"Since the princess has decided to reveal herself, I guess I have no choice but to do the same... My name is Seren Elvira Ledford, daughter of Representative Tobias Haydn Ledford. I also wish to remind you that my uncle, Charles Grant Ledford is the CEO of Astria Enterprise." Her declaration came as a second bolt from the blue, for Kira and Athrun more than anyone else...

_Seren..._ They thought in the same time. They knew her best, but she had kept such a secret from them. "If you don't want to be responsible of a great political and economical upset, then don't open fire. And I also have a message to the government: we apologise for returning like this but you'll understand the circumstance didn't leave us much choice. You couldn't protect the peace of Heliopolis. Protect us, see us through to the end, don't pretend this never happened, don't run away from your responsibilities!"

"I'm in no mood for jokes. There's no way that the princess and the lady would be on this ship!"

"What?!"

"Besides, even if it were true, I cannot simply do as you say without any conclusive evidence to support your statement!"

"We'll give you all the conclusive evidence you want if you let us through!"

"Our apology, but we have orders. This is the law." And they were disconnected. The ship trembled again.

"There's no need to worry! I won't let them into your territorial waters!" Dearka shot the foot of the bridge, right above the deck on the side. "I'll finish them before they get there!"

"Every single time!" La Flaga complained as he shot at the Buster that dodged the beam of the Agni cannon. Elsman aimed at him but only hit the water. Athrun warned him to attack from the other side so he wouldn't hit an Orb ship. That could be considered as a ZAFT attack on the country. "How can I do that?!" But while he was distracted, Kira shot his Guul. He cursed and leapt away before the Guul exploded. Mu tried to take advantage of this and missed... However, the Buster combined the shotgun and 94mm rifle and managed to hit the Archangel's engines... only to have his weapon destroyed not a second later by a shot from the Blast's Lanze. There was a huge explosion. Cagalli fell down but Kisaka caught her. The three EA pilots, just like the crew in the flagship of the fleet, looked with horror at the falling angel.

"Engines 1 and 2 hit! Sealing bulkheads from blocks 48 to 55!"

"Propulsion declining! Cannot maintain altitude!"

Kira, Seren and Athrun shot at each other as the Archangel was forced to do an emergency sea landing.

"With this, there's nothing we can do but enter their territory. Don't worry. The Orb Second Escort Fleet is very skilled with artillery. They'll do just fine." Kisaka smiled confidently, surprising, and reassuring the captain and vice-captain. Ramius assented.

"As you have ignored our warnings, we will hereby exercise our right to defend ourselves!" The fleet shot their missiles and cannons all around the Archangel while Athrun was driven away by the war helicopters.

"Now, that was quite a farce but we really had no choice, did we?" Chief Representative Athha stood up. He then asked about the contents of the official announcement and a woman gave him the second draft of the said announcement. He quickly read through it, approved, and gave the paper to Homura, leaving him in charge of that. "Representative Ledford and I will handle things regarding that ship and the Morgenroete." He then informed everyone. Tobias stood up too and joined Uzumi-sama. They heard the other council members murmur about just how troublesome this ship could be. The two stopped. "It's a little too late for such talk, don't you think?" The Chief commented. That silenced everyone. All of them were hanging their heads. Indeed, among them, there were certainly people who had supported this project, but if it was to complain now, they should have done something to prevent this ship from being built. If so, then all of this – the destruction of Heliopolis, what happened to Tobias, his daughter and her friends, their integrity as a neutral nation being questioned, their current predicament... – none of this would have happened. Tobias and Uzumi left the room.

"I'm witnessing it once again, just how hard it is to lead a country, when the decisions you must take are both complicated, and painful..." Tobias stated as they were walking in the hallway.

"It is... that's why I'm saying this now. I am sorry, about you, and Seren-kun. Once again, she was given such painful memories..."

"Stop that. I'm equally guilty. I shouldn't have gotten complacent and forsaken my responsibilites. What Cagalli-san said isn't wrong. Even though it sometimes cannot be helped, for someone with our responsibilities, ignorance is a crime. It doesn't make much of an excuse for all those who lost something, someone... But don't worry. Seren is a smart, strong daughter. I'm sure she understands all our decisions. Even though her being so mature makes me feel a bit lonely, she can also be very troublesome. Well, being troublesome is a trait she shares with your daughter."

"Indeed." The Chief Representative chuckled slightly.

"Besides, Cagalli-san too must have experienced painful memories..."

"Indeed..." Uzumi agreed somberly.

And just as Kisaka had said, the fleet properly escorted the Archangel to Onogoro Island where the ship received instructions for the docking. The Strike and the Blast were on the deck. Their pilots had come down and unzipped the top part of their suit. The sea breeze was blowing in their hair as they were looking at the island with an undescribable expression. After two months since the collapse of Heliopolis, they were returning to a place they could call 'home'... but in which circumstances? Could they really call this place 'home' as they were now? Inside the hangar, La Flaga had also removed his helmet and rolled down the top of his suit to his waist. He was sitting on a box, his eyes closed, relaxing a little after the battle. The Archangel made a turnabout. A huge part of the cliff side slid down into the water and the ship entered the perfectly hidden base under the careful watch of two Orb vessels and a few helicopters.

"Onogoro Island belongs to the military and to Morgenroete. We won't be detected here even my satellite." Cagalli's bodyguard said knowingly.

"Don't you think that it's about time you tell us who you really are?" The captain inquired after Natarle had joined her. The man saluted.

"Colonel Ledonir Kisaka of the Orb Ground Forces 21st Airborne Team." He properly introduced himself. "I'm here as her escort." He relaxed and smiled at the blonde one next to him who turned away with a scowling face.

"And about Seren-kun?"

"If you're speaking about her identity, then what she said earlier is the truth, undoubtedly." The colonel answered. The two women kept quiet but remembered the information Rear Admiral Halberton had showed them had been true...

"My... so they're the real things..." Milly said. Of course she had doubted the girls when they had claimed to belong to the Orb nobility. Cagalli and Seren might behave somewhat arrogantly and always did as they liked without listening to others... but to think they were high class ladies...! They didn't care the slightest about appearances, manners, hierarchy or status! On the contrary they seemed to dislike those... or rather, find them bothersome... especially Cagalli... And they've known Seren for quite some time too...

"How should we be reacting to the steps that are taken against us?" Ramius asked.

"I believe you would be better off asking that question directly to the people you are about to meet: the Lion of Orb, Lord Uzumi Nara Athha, and certainly, Seren's father, Sir Tobias Haydn Ledford."

"Do you expect us to believe this crap announcement?!" Yzak stormed as he slammed his hand on the table and said announcement. The four Red Coats were in the small meeting room of a submarine. Dearka and Nicol were sitting together on a bench, and Athrun was leaning against a box. The Buster's pilot was sarcastically wondering whether Orb was seriously telling them that the Ashitsuki had already left their country and whether they thought everything would be solved like this.

"They're taking us for complete fools. Maybe because we have a young commander." Elsman commented insidiously. Yzak too was glaring at the young commander, obviously blaming him. Nicol called Dearka's name warningly as he was being too mean.

"That's not important." Zala said, unfazed. "But as long as that's Orb's official response to the situation, sitting here and screaming our heads off saying it's a lie won't change anything, right?"

"What?!" Joule glared even more fiercely.

"If we forced our way there, it would end up becoming a diplomatic matter involving our nations."

"That's quite the coolheaded decision, Athrun." Yzak recovered his poise after his rival's sound argument. "No, Commander Zala." However, he still had not truly acknowledged him, and his voice had also recovered his mocking and contemptuous tone. But as Dearka pointed out, it was not like they could just say yes and go home.

"We'll have Carpentaria apply pressure but if things aren't resolved quickly... we'll infiltrate. Is that okay with you?" Athrun declared, surprising his allies. They were going to check out the whereabouts of the Legged Ship. That unexpected suggestion had also made Yzak serious, albeit not completely convinced. "Whatever the case, our opponent is a proper nation. We cannot take unprepared actions alone without conclusive evidence."

"We can just force our way in and the Legged Ship will be there!" Elsman protested.

"This isn't Heliopolis!" Athrun snapped. Heliopolis... where he had seen Kira and Seren again after so long... the disbelief written on their faces... and that day in that cave, when Seren, her eyes wet with tears, had aimed a gun at him... "For instance, the size of their military. I don't have to tell you how advanced Orb's military technology is. Officially it's a neutral state but who knows what happens behind the scenes. We can't begin to explain what a troublesome nation it is."

"Okay, I'll obey. But if it were me, I'd be forcing my way in. You're not the son of His Excellency, Committee Chairman Zala, for nothing. Well, sneaking in sounds like fun too. And I may even be able to see the Strike's pilot's face." The scarred young man smirked as he walked towards the door, followed by Dearka. Athrun's eyes widened at that. "But after all, I might be more curious about that girl who pilots the Blast..." Yzak trailed off, leaving with his friend, and not noticing the change in his Commander's expression... unlike Nicol.

Two women were marching quickly on the causeway leading to the Archangel with a tight expression. One was middle-aged, slightly plump, with brown hair in a low ponytail and slightly sun-kissed skin. She was dressed in a long burnt orange dress with a long short sleeved plum and raspberry coat. The other was young, in her late twenties/early thirties, with keen azure eyes, shoulder length dark navy blue hair in a bob, and a fair complexion. She wore a business suit with a white shirt, black buttoned jacket and black pants. And both were pulling along a suitcase.

Milly, Tolle, Sai and Kuzzey had gathered in the dining room to discuss the present situation. Tolle hadn't liked returning to Orb in that manner, although he probably should have expected it, thanks to a certain someone. Things had happened exactly as she had said. However, this had renewed Kuzzey's hope. In that case, could they not... disembark? He knew they could not leave the group during a mission... but maybe get some time off?

"I wouldn't say there's no possibility. For one thing, repairs will require the ship to remain docked for some time." Neumann told them from behind, a glass of water in his hand.

"That's right!" The teen beamed, his hope strengthened.

"However, this is a difficult nation." The ship's pilot tampered his previous statement just as Kira entered. "It's amazing enough that they allowed us to enter their country like this. In other words, it's up to Orb. We won't know either way until the captain and the others return."

"Our dads and moms are here after all." Milly looked down wistfully. And she wasn't the only one thinking that. Two months ago, those teens were just normal students, before their home got destroyed and their world turned upside down. From their peaceful life, they had been thrown into war and forced to adapt and to fight ever since then. It was only natural they'd get exhausted and homesick.

"You want to see them?" Neumann asked kindly. The four turned to him. Kira passed without looking at anyone. He was carrying a tray with two gourds He stopped at the entrance. "I hope you get to see them."

"Ah, but, you guys remember what Seren said? We got to Orb because ZAFT cornered us, there were even those four, and even though the Orb army officially refused us entry and shot at us, they still allowed us in, exactly as she had said. So maybe the rest will go according to her predictions too!" Kuzzey reminded his friends with renewed hope. Neumann asked what predictions he was talking about.

"She did say we'd have to give away the Strike's and Blast's battle data and that she and Kira would have to cooperate with the Morgenroete. I feel really bad for them..." Tolle said sadly.

"That's true, but she also said that she didn't see any reason why we couldn't see our family as long as we got the permission of the higher ups!"

"Eh? Seren-kun really said all that?" Neumann asked, incredulous. Sai confirmed. It had happened right before the battle that caused her to be stranded on that island. "For Goodness' sake, she's one fearsome girl. Her fighting capabilities, her insight, and now her true identity..." The man commented.

Kira returned to his room and saw Flay and Torii staring at the interferences on the 'window/TV'. Of course it was not a real window, nor was it a television. It was a monitor linked to sensors outside the ship that normally showed the view from his side of the ship. He asked if she wanted to have a look outside.

"No, not really." Flay replied weakly. Her response clearly lacked sincerity and its usual punch. The boy sat down and gave her a drink she accepted gratefully. He also told her they might be able to disembark. But again, her spirit did not have the slightest ounce of spirit. Kira asked if she had a home in Orb. "Yes, I do, but no one's living there. My mom died when I was little. And my dad's gone too." She said softly. At this, Kira looked away guiltily. Her father, her last family, he was the one who couldn't protect him.

The round woman entered and her eyes widened. Cagalli was standing there awkwardly.

"Hi, Myrna..." The blonde one sheepishly greeted her caretaker.

"Princess!" Myrna let go of the suitcase and hugged Cagalli, so relieved she was alright.

While in another room, a similar scene was taking place...

"Milady, I'm so glad you're safe!"

"Ruka-san... you're choking me..." Seren still tightly hugged back, her soft voice overcome by emotion. Ruka Makabe... A thirty-two-year-old Coordinator, born a Ledford from a branch family, she had been raised to be of use to the main family. While originally working for the head – Seren's uncle – when Seren was born, Ruka was transferred so she'd work under Tobias. She was 16, then. She became his wife Helen's faithful friend, or like a younger sister or a second daughter. And she had been the only person Tobias took with them to Copernicus City when his wife died. She became her caretaker, bodyguard, governess, and surrogate mother/older sister, and also took care of the administration of the house. She also helped Tobias with his new job as an official. She was there to make sure things would go well between the grief-stricken widower and his daughter who was shutting herself off, although it was Kira and Athrun who almost did everything. Ruka had also been the one to teach Seren self-defense and martial arts.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... even though we were at Heliopolis, we didn't know anything, we couldn't do anything... and you had to go through such painful experiences..."

"It's alright. To say I have no regrets would be a lie, but thanks to them, I've discovered something I have to do. Because I have that, no matter how painful things have been or may become, I won't fall apart. I'll be fine, so please, allow me to grow." The young girl smiled.

"Milady, you've become so splendid..."

"I did, didn't I? That's why, could you stop calling me 'Milady'? Call me Seren, as usual." She casually ordered with such a cutie honey expression. But of course that wasn't nearly enough to disarm her caretaker.

"I'm sorry but I cannot comply since both you and your father decided to step up." Ruka replied stringeantly. The teen loudly clicked her tongue, clearly expressing her displeasure. "And please don't click your tongue. Right now you're going to see Lord Charles and Lady Heaven, so please change into that and mind your manners..." The attendant opened the suitcase.

"No." Seren retorted like an unreasonable child. Makabe sighed.

"The most I can do is Seren-sama."

"Alright, I'll settle for that." Seren sighed too. "By the way, I understand for Aunt and Uncle but what about that guy?"

"If you mean me, the Great Rayner Liam Ledford, I'm right here. I couldn't wait to see my Nene-chan again so I came." They heard a male voice and that guy was there, coolly leaning against the doorway and winking, and obviously showing off. That guy, Rayner Liam Ledford, famous for his dashing looks, natural charm, and smooth tongue and manners, appeared every bit the frivolous and extremely popular rich young man he was. He clapped his hands. "And that's our Ruka-chan, the wild beast tamer!"

"Who are you calling your Nene-chan? What story from how many centuries ago are you babbling about?" Seren sharply shot back, a deep scowl on her face.

"Rayner-sama, I told you not to call me Ruka-chan. You must respect your elders." Ruka scolded.

"Now now, don't get angry you two, it will ruin your beauty. But Ruka-chan is right. To think that my Nene-chan who used to follow me around like a big girl when she was just an irresistibly adorable chick of a baby sister..." He suddenly tackled her in a hug. "...could grow into such a splendid and lovely young lady..."

"Like I said, who are you calling Nene-chan?! And our age difference isn't so big that you can act so superior and arrogant. And don't hug me, you're smothering." She tried to push the obnoxious guy away. Seren was 15, just like Kira and Cagalli. They would turn 16 in May. Athrun was 16, and Rayner was 19.

"Even though you're happy to see me... you've turned into a good tsundere character. But you're too sharp, you don't blush enough. That is not cute. I'm worried about your relations with others since you're easily misunderstood. What will you do when a guy interests you?" Rayner teased again. A scene from a certain deserted island with a certain someone flashed in Seren's mind. Her cheeks burned, her palm heavily connected with her cousin's chin and while he had lost his balance she kicked him. He flew back to the hallway. That man was dangerous. Even though he was like this, he was still a Ledford after all... Ruka heaved a sigh. Before she noticed, the tearful reunion had become a manzai routine... although the bokke was quite the cunning one, and the tsukkomi's little slap had gone up a few notches to such a strong kick. But still, they were just testing each other out. He had provoked the kick, and she had given it knowing he would be able to accept it.

"Oh my, was I spot on?" He grinned knowingly. "But it seems you've employed your time well. Your kicks are nothing like they were." That was right, even back then, when he'd taunt her too much, she'd reply with kicks. But as a child, she didn't have much power, unlike now.

"Humph, I could say the same about you. Your defense is nothing like it was." She thought she could make a proper hit, but even though the force had managed to send him back, he had actually blocked the blow. He was not just a prodigal son.

"But kicking people is unladylike. Did you forget your manners while you were away?"

"Shut up. Leave me alone. I didn't forget them, I just stopped caring about them."

"That's right. Seren-sama must change so Rayner-sama, please stay out. And stop teasing Seren-sama. And also, Seren-sama, when you're before your aunt and uncle, please do mind your manners."

"Eh?" The two complained.

"If you don't comply, I'll tell that person your real feelings and give her proof." The attendant threatened the young man. And strangely, Rayner instantly became submissive... And while Seren was lost in thought trying to figure out the identity of 'that person' and her cousin's 'real feelings', Ruka took advantage of it to force her Lady into the dress... just like Myrna was doing with Cagalli.

"As you know, our nation, Orb, is neutral."

"Yes."

"Officially, it has been reported that our army chased your ship from our territorial waters."

"Yes."

"Could it be that the reason you saved us is because we had your daughters on board?" La Flaga inquired, implying that it was actually the case.

"Do you think I can even compare the fate of this country to a spoiled wayward daughter and an Earth Alliance pilot?" The chief Representative questioned. Mu apologized for his rudeness. When you bore a weight of a country, you could not afford to give priority to your personal feelings. "Things would be much easier if it were as simple as that. The case with Heliopolis, children of this nation who got involved and ended up volunteering as soldiers, the achievements of the X-numbers in one battle after another... I thought it over many times whether it would have been wiser to just protect the people and leave that ship and the mobile suits. To this moment, I'm still not sure if the right decision was made."

"I'm terribly sorry, about Heliopolis, and the children, and you, Tobias-sama. It's not as if my words have any weight to them but... I'd just like to say, as an individual... that I'm terribly sorry for what happened."

"Forget it. We are just as much at fault for what has happened. Since that's also an internal problem of our nation. But it is true that had I known, I would have done everything in my power to stop you. I was there. The reason that we maintain our position as a neutral state is that we want to face neither Naturals nor Coordinators as enemies. As you must know, my late wife was a Coordinator. However, without any power, intentions cannot be enforced. Yet, by obtaining power, one becomes a potential target. I'm sure as soldiers you don't want to hear this." Tobias stated.

"I can understand what you're saying, Lord Tobias. However, we..." Murrue was remembering the words and dying wish of her esteemed and late superior, the Rear Admiral Halberton, asking her to convey his thoughts to Alaska about how ZAFT would continue to new machines to the battlefield while fools in the EA threw in funds on useless affairs for their own benefits, regarding the number of soldiers lost on the battlefield as just a figure on paper.

"In any case, we must explain to you the main reason why we didn't think your ship. We hope to obtain from you the Strike's and the Blast's battle data to this point and have you lend us their pilots, Kira Yamato, Seren Ledford, for technical cooperation with Morgenroete. Should you agree, I'm sure we can provide you with extensive assistance for your ship."

"Uzumi-sama! That's-" Ramius suddenly stood up. Natarle was frowning deeply, like she had done when Representative Athha had voiced his hesitations about the rescue or destruction of the Archangel. Even if the ship and X-series had been built by Orb, they still belonged to the Earth Alliance, so for the ship to share such top secret data with Orb which was NOT an allied army...

Meantime, inside the Archangel that had been drydocked for repairs, Cagalli was complaining that she could walk on her own. Of course her caretaker denied her. She was the princess, she had be to led as such. Kira, and Flay who was holding his arm, arrived to see what the commotion was about. A number of crew members had also gathered to see the transformation of the tomboy Cagalli and the oddball Seren who should be out any second. Both were known for their rebellious nature. But this was really a show to watch. And indeed, Seren came out. All the men were gaping. Cagalli and Seren looked at each other, as if meeting for the first time, before Cagalli's eyes fell on Rayner, who was properly escorting his cousin by the arm as a gentleman, and she sharply turned her head away. The young man smiled sheepishly while Seren watched the exchange curiously.

Cagalli was dressed in a light green one shoulder dress with a large strap on her right shoulder. Hanging low from her hips was a pleated mint cream skirt. Drapped around her left shoulder like the banner of a Miss and tied in a large knot down her pelvic area was a mint green cloth. Golden bracelets were clinging on her wrists. There was a V-shaped gold choker at her neck with a pink stone and the locks on the sides of her face were held by green ribbons. She also had red earrings. She truly looked like an elegant princess. Just like Seren who was wearing a floor length peach empire style mousseline dress with a sweetheart neckline and cream satin shoulder caps. The chest was underlined by a cream satin ribbon from which flowed a translucent peach overskirt. At her wrists were bracelets of large and smaller green gems of different hues set in and linked with gold. A gold pendant was hanging from her neck, its vibrant green stone, enhanced by tiny light red ones. Her hair was held back by a gold and peach headband with delicate and intricate designs and her earrings were irregular green gems.

Flay's eyes widened in shock before deeply narrowing in spite, resentment and jealousy. Feeling themselves the object of a scorching ill will, the two ladies turned towards its source and saw the red head clinging to Kira and glaring at them with intense hate and bitterness. Cagalli glared the opposite direction, her head down. Without a single emotion showing on her face, Seren looked at Flay, closed her eyes, and looked straight ahead again. And behind Seren and Rayner, Ruka was following with the suitcase. Kira watched Seren and Cagalli with an amused smile, chuckling slightly, which angered Flay even more.

"What was that? What's the big deal anyway?" She muttered viciously. Even though she had lost all that, what were those girls doing, parading, showing off like this... were they mocking her?! And Seren... even though it was her fault her father had died and she had lost everything... she still dared strut about in those pretty clothes at the arm of such a handsome and charming man? Besides, the Ledfords were one of the five noble families of Orb. And she was really carrying herself like an aristocrat... And there was something else... Right before the rendez-vous with her papa's fleet, she had condescendingly told this to Seren:_"You really don't know anything about people of a high social standing, do you? Appearances are crucial." _ And Seren had dismissed her saying: _"Oh, well, whatever you say." _Seren was really mocking her after all, that girl was laughing under her breath at her ignorance, she had always been...!

"That girl was glaring at you so fiercely earlier... did you make youself another enemy due to your overly blunt personality?" Rayner asked once they were in the limousine. His cousin reminded him that she was also glaring at Cagalli. "That's exactly what I'm saying. Cagalli can be a bit too straightforward too."

"What's with that difference in treatment you're giving us? I'm overly blunt and Cagalli's just a bit too straightforward? Anyway, you're partly right. But mostly in this case, she envied us for possessing what she no longer has. Well, she also hates me because I'm a Coordinator, and because..." The young woman trailed off, remembering the explosion of the Montgomery, the ship in which Vice-minister George Allster had been...

"Because...?"

"Nothing. By the way when we were with Cagalli earlier your nervousness when you were staring at her was stinging me like a nettle. Is that it? You're that type of guy aren't you? You always act so cool but as soon as it comes to people and things that truly matter to you you become nervous and insecure and try to cover it but it's unnatural and you behave like an idiot. _'I'll tell that person your real feelings' _it was about Cagalli, right? Yeah, I'm sure of it..." Seren smirked evilly as she watched the tiny changes in her relative's expressions.

"Is that revenge for earlier? Are you the type of woman who grasps a man's weakness and will use it to their advantage?" Rayner replied tensely.

"That will depend on you. But what was that earlier? Did you have a fight? Or she just plain dislikes you? Ah, it must be because of your womanizing ways! You're known as the prince of parties after all."

"So rude... and that's not womanizing, that's-"

"-Making yourself a useful contact list, I know. You acquaint yourself with the young generation of influential people and their parents and relatives through them. But Cagalli is really innocent and forthright. Even if she could somehow see something like that, it's the way you do it and the atmosphere around you. She's different from any of the women you know and who usually flock to you, so you must also treat her differently. Drop your act, your pride, and be honest with her. It's a no-go to treat her as a weak little thing to be protected and indulged or somehow imply that she's too stupid just because she's too honest and straightforward to know or accept the twisted ways of the world... Ah! That face! That's exactly what you did, right? But wait... Colonel Kisaka wasn't at Heliopolis, so she returned to Orb, a confrontation ensued between her and Uzumi-sama. She must have blamed him about X-series in Heliopolis, if he knew, he had betrayed the nation, if he didn't know, that is also a crime as leader of the country as it was his duty to know and prevent it. He retorted she didn't know the world so she ran away from home to discover this world. You tried to stop her to protect her but you just said the same thing Uzumi-sama did and she got more stubborn... I'm 95% sure that's what happened! That's no good! If you love her you should be more supportive and trusting and take her personality into account."

"Oh, so you do have enough experience in love to lecture me about it, huh? Please by all means tell me more about those experiences..."

"Eh? Well... that's..."

"But I'll take your opinion into account in deference to your sharp insight. Besides, a woman is in a better position to understand another woman's heart. Not only that, but you two are similar in many ways. Also I felt she was blaming me, and our family, for not knowing about X-series in Heliopolis. But to tell you the truth, we did know, or rather, when that information reached us we tried to do something but ZAFT acted right before we did. And because we were too late you had to pilot a war machine and fight Athrun. I am... we are all very sorry."

"How do you know about Athrun?" Seren glared from the corner of her eyes.

"Since Copernicus City, we had you and Tobias-san watched for you security. After what happened to Helen-san, we just had to. And a boy from which you were so close, of course we'd keep watch over him."

"You're truly a Ledford after all. Such awesome information network. And what made you decide to reveal me all of that now?"

"Because we think it is time for you to know. And both you and your father decided to step up."

"I'm against this. This country is dangerous." Natarle protested.

"But even if you say that... then what do you suggest?" Mu questioned. "Shall we get off here and swim to Alaska?" He joked. But again, Badgiruel took him seriously and said that was not what she meant. She wanted them to simply pay for the repairs. However, even though the two other officers understood her, they also doubted this would suffice.

"They didn't say anything about it but I'm sure they're under pressure from ZAFT. Yet, they're still protecting us. You realize why, right?" Murrue said.

"If you say so, Captain, I don't have the authority to object. As far as this case is concerned, I will bring it up as an issue when we arrive at Alaska." The Lieutenant JG saluted and left.

"This case TOO, right?" La Flaga commented good-heartedly. Natarle had already noted a number of problems concerning Murrue's lack of – or poor – leadership and adherence to the rules. The captain smiled tiredly. "I feel bad for the kids and what we're putting them through again." Ramius agreed and slumped on her desk, sighing heavily. The man lightly and comfortingly tapped her back.

"Stop it, Commander. That's sexual harassment." She instructed severely.

"Eh? Is it?" He wondered seriously, looking at his guilty hand.

"Father, I brought her." Rayner said, opening the door. Seren smiled and politely greeted her aunt Heaven while being extra careful with her manners. After all she couldn't control her body. When she was near her she felt instinctive fear and she just did as she wished. Aunt Heaven was truly very, very beautiful. She possessed a sort of sophisticated and worldly elegance. And even more so than her blood, her heart was noble. However, she was also a strict woman of steel, traditions and etiquette... and Seren knew very few people as terrifying as her when she was angry. She was much more observant and keen than many people thought her to be though, and her sharp business sense allowed her to contribute tremendously to the development of Astria Enterprise. However, she had her own kindness and gentleness as well. She had dark honey blond hair usually up in a bun and green eyes. And her son had inherited her beauty, honey blond hair and green eyes.

But for now, it was Seren's uncle, Charles Grant Ledford who wore a rather austere and scary expression as he walked up to her. She was stammering a greeting when suddenly her uncle gripped her in a bear hug and rubbed his mustached face against hers.

"Long time no see my beloved niece! You're cute as ever!" He exclaimed with a ridiculously doting face and tone. The Ledford clan was usually known as a clan of somewhat frivolous oddballs, at least in appearance. They were extremely generous and sponsored many humanatarian events and as a buoyant bunch, they were of every party and hosted a good number of them. Although Charles appeared very stern, he was usually very cheerful, easy-going, and even childish. He loved cute things and teasing people. He possessed this debonair and gentlemanly charm. He had platinum blond hair, always impecably combed back, and lively blue eyes. He turned ridiculously doting when it came to his beloved niece Seren and loved picking on his son to raise his fighting spirit and abilities through confrontation in order for his son to one day defeat him. And after having suffered so much from it for so long, Rayner had taken his father's knack for teasing and provoking. However, behind that, his clan, just like himself could prove extremely shrewd, crafty, merciless and vindictive. As leader, his top priority was his clan. But his love for his country was just as great. It was easier for him to operate from the shadows, and leave the country to his younger brother Tobias. He supported Uzumi-sama's decision to send Tobias and Seren away because he knew it was for their sake. He just wanted them to heal in a quiet place.

"Dear! Please do not display such indecent behaviour!" Heaven scolded.

"Father, that's not fair! I want to hug her too!"

"Stop it you two!"

The next morning, at day break, the Strike and the Blast were being led through Onogoro Island's misty mountainous roads by a jeep. They stopped before a cliff. Again, the rock slid, and the gundams entered the hidden facility.

While on an isolated shore of the same island, close to a lighthouse, four people equipped for scuba diving came out of the water and climbed onto the rocky ledge. Two men were waiting for them. They looked like fishermen. The divers removed their oxygen masks and googles.

"Athrun Zala of the Le Creuset Team." Athrun introduced himself in a low voice. Behind him, Yzak and Dearka were smirking. But Nicol looked serious.

"Welcome to the country of peace." The man and his companion smiled cynically as he shook Athrun's hand.

* * *

We can fight because there is a place we can return to. We always thought that. We wanted to return to paradise. However, by entrusting our bodies to the current, we had become dirty little by little. What is it that we can grasp when our hands are stained with blood? We all had things to protect even at the cost of something precious, and for that we were ready to bear the accumulated weight of hate, sorrow, blood and sin.


	25. SEED Factor

**Phase-25: S.E.E.D. factor**

The four elite soldiers of the Le Creuset Team had removed their wetsuits and diving apparatus and dressed into worker uniforms. The inside men gave them forged identity cards and a sort of PDA. That ID would get them into Area 1 but from there a system was in place to check specific data on each individual. Nothing could be done on such short notice. However, before they left, they were given a final warning.

"Well don't overdo it. I don't want any commotion. I'd rather let the lion continue sleeping."

The foursome left the shore and walked through a forest. They arrived at the edge of a cliff overlooking the military harbour of Onogoro. As they looked down, Athrun remembered when he had met Seren in Heliopolis and he had been about to kill her and later on that deserted island when she had aimed at him with a gun, when she had cried, when they had almost kissed... and also...

_"My name is Seren Elvira Ledford!" _The Ledford, one of the five noble families of Orb and owners of Astria Industries... The boy closed his eyes and walked away with Nicol while Yzak and Dearka headed in the opposite direction.

"Work party number 6, begin working on dock 13." A voice ordered.

"Engine and hull crews, standby in room 7." Another instructed. All the work had been properly divided and from deciders to doers, the efficiency of the people here was simply astounding. Neumann expressed his surprise that the repairs had already begun. Natarle voiced her agreement. That was truly something they should be grateful for. But one could still detect in her voice a note of caution and dissatisfaction about something. They were standing on the causeway in the bridge, right above the pilot's seat, and looking through the large window at the people working below. The captain entered and bade them good morning. The crew saluted and greeted her back.

"Technicians have already arrived from Morgenroete and have already begun the repairs." Badgiruel reported.

"Right. Where are Ensign Yamato and Ensign Ledford?"

"An escort took them to the factory with the Strike and the Blast." The Lieutenant JG answered. Ramius thanked her. But then her vice-captain looked really discontent, as if she wanted to say something. Murrue asked what it was.

"Nothing. I believe this would be an ideal opportunity to do a thorough check of the internal systems as well." Natarle replied and left. Again, her superior thanked her, but this time her tone was a little curter. Both knew the concerns of the Lieutenant about the situation and the opinions of the Commander who had chosen to overlook them. No use saying anything now.

At the Morgenroete main office, senior engineer Erica Simmons, 30, was compiling a vocal report. As Seren had remarked at Artemis, it was clear that the mobile suits' potential was far greater than imagined by those who came up with the concept. She paused the recording and took a call. It was from her beloved son Yuuta. Mommy was still working and wouldn't be back until late at night, after Yuuta had gone to bed so he must have diner with dad. In exchange she promised to be there for her next day off. She rarely broke her promises after all. She told him to listen to his daddy, take a bath and brush his teeth like a good boy. She ended the call. Erica Simmons was very dedicated to her work but also very devoted to her family and had a picture of them stuck to a corner of her computer. She restarted the recording.

According to the report submitted by the Colonel Ledonir Kisaka, the power of the Earth Forces mobile suits was simply overwhelming. However the possibility of bringing out this potential greatly relied on the abilities of the pilot. She commanded the attachement of a file and after Kisaka's picture, Kira's and Seren's image and data appeared on the screen. The conclusions she had drawn were based on a set of battle records acquired on Kira Yamato, pilot of the X105 Strike, and Seren Elvira Ledford, pilot of the X216 Blast and that was from the moment they boarded the machines in Heliopolis, and completely rewrote the OS (after cursing them) before fighting a GINN and the X303 Aegis. It had been pointed out from early on that the operation systems would have to be improved. Fundamentally, it was an unavoidable fact that the abilities of Coordinators are superior to that of Naturals. It was clear that if the performance of the interface was equal, Coordinator were better able to bring out the full potential of the machine. That had been proven in the difference of movements when Murrue Ramius piloted the Strike and when Kira Yamato piloted it. He had destroyed a GINN.

For Naturals to match the same effectiveness as Coordinators when piloting mobile suits, they would require software that much more advanced. However, it was ironic that Coordinators had to be relied upon to take on that job although it was an emergency situation. In the end, the Earth Forces had to rely on Coordinators thought to be the enemy in order to develop weaponry to battle Coordinators. And it's the same here at Orb. She commanded the attachement of a hyperlink 'Contributions of Latent Coordinators to the Weapons Industry of our Nation'. The PLANT technicians who first sent mobile suits into the battlefield believed the weapons that took control of outer space would eventually control the direction of the war. Such weapons had to be more mobile than the fighter planes and possess no less than a battleship's firepower. They also had to have armor stronger than that of a tank allowing it to survive under extreme conditions. The main points of this opinion were correct. As a fact, the whole 8th Fleet of the Earth army which only had mobile armors, had been annihilated by the four stolen Xnumbers and GINNS.

But they had overlooked just one point. The superiority of those mobile suits was not limited to outer space. ZAFT persistently chased the Earth Forces space battleship Archangel that had loaded the Strike and Blast and escaped Heliopolis. As a result, the Archangel failed in its descent to Earth and had no choice but to land in ZAFT territory. Perhaps it was superfluous information but there appeared to be limitations in the Archangel's command personel. There were only three commissioned officers, the captain and vice-captain often clashed and the third one generally sided with the captain. Although they had been successful in eluding ZAFT's attacks, much of that was attributed to coincidences and the battle achievements of Kira Yamato, Seren Ledford, the Strike, and the Blast. Eventually, the question of the nature and rationality of the Archangel's top officers shall be addressed. Indeed, the decisions of the Archangel's captain had often been based on emotions, or instinct, notably when it came to those two Coordinators. A good example would be when Seren went missing and Ramius-kanchou wanted to look for her despite them being in ZAFT territory.

In Lybia, where the Archangel had landed, they were attacked by Andrew Waltfeld, known as the Desert Tiger, one of ZAFT's top commanders. Leaving aside whether tigers live in deserts or not, his team composed of BuCUES – mobile suits designed for ground combat – and war helicopters. For the Strike and Blast, which were trial products in the first place, battling in the desert proved extremely difficult. However, Seren Ledford showed remarkable adaptability in using the Blast's capability for flight in the atmosphere. And both she and Kira Yamato pulled off an unbelievable stunt changing the control programm during battle to overcome danger. In the end, they defeated all the BuCUEs, helicopters, and Kira Yamato even defeated the brand new mobile suit LaGOWE, piloted by Waltfeld himself.

The Archangel proceeded to the Red Sea. However, ZAFT had been waiting, having cast a net across the sea. To counter the flying mobile suit DINN, and the underwater models ZnO and GOOhN, the Archangel adds the support fighter plane, Skygrasper, to back up the Strike and Blast, increasing the flexibility in their use. Their underwater combat record also showed surprising adaptability. The sheer efficiency and complementarity of the Kira Yamato/Seren Ledford combination should be noted. When one protected the Archangel the other attacked from within the enemy line. When Kira Yamato fought the enemy commander, Seren Ledford decimated their troops. Their abilities surpassed those of other Coordinators. It was only a supposition as it was not even her field but Erica Simmons still wanted to bring to mind a matter that had once appeared in an academic journal and had given rise to debate. It was the **S**uperior **E**volutionary **E**lement **D**estined factor. And as such, if possible, she'd like to conduct a continuous, precise and thorough research on Kira Yamato and Seren Ledford. But after thinking, she deleted the latest entry about the Superior Evolutionary Element Destined factor and the research on the two Coordinators. And she ended the recording. Chief Simmons saved the file she protected with a password and terminated the session.

Just on cue, a worker rang the bell and entered after she had authorized him to tell he had brought Ensign Kira Yamato and Ensign Seren Ledford. She thanked him, removed her earpiece and left with him.

The Strike and the Blast were on some sort of giant freight elevator (just a platform in fact) that took them down to the deepest level of the factory. And soon, their pilots, dressed in their Earth Forces uniforms, were walking along with Chief Simmons. When the boy asked where they were she told him that complete repairs on the Strike an Blast were possible here since he could say this was the home of the Strike's and Blast's parents.

"Over there. This is what I'd like you to see." Erica said as they entered a hangar. Kira gasped. It was full of mass-produced human-shaped mobile suits. "There's nothing to be that surprised about. Since you did first see the Strike at Heliopolis. Seren-sama is not surprised at all. She just looks very angry." The woman smiled. Seren-sama kept quiet. Indeed, she had been looking extremely sour and if she was to talk to that person it would only be to release her caustic poison. So she held back for now.

"This is the true face of Orb, the so-called 'neutral nation'!" Cagalli said, obviously not in a good mood either. She was back in her red t-shirt and cargo pants. Seren noticed the red mark on her right cheek. Simmons presented the M1 Astrays, made by the Morgenroete and belonging to the Orb military. Kira naively asked what Orb planned to do with them. "They're here to protect Orb. You know, right? Orb will not invade another nation, will not allow another nation to invade, and will not intervene in the conflicts of other nations. This gives us the power to guarantee that. Orb is such a nation. No, it is supposed to be such a nation... until my father betrayed it that is."

"Huh?"

"Oh my, you're still saying that? How many times have I told you that it isn't true? Lord Uzumi had no idea that Heliopolis was helping the Earth Force with mobile suits development-"

"Shut up! Do you seriously think such an excuse is acceptable?! He was the nation's Chief Representative! If he didn't in fact know, that in itself is a crime!" The girl interrupted Chief Simmons.

"That's why he took responsibility."

"You mean handing the duties to uncle and blurting out a bunch of nonsense?! Nothing has changed!"

"It cannot be helped. Uzumi-sama is very important to the present Orb."

"How can you say that about that coward?"

"To think Uzumi-sama lavished so much love and care on you over the years, he will be saddened." Erica sighed. Cagalli sharply and stubbornly turned away but with still a slightly guilty expression. "In addition, I'm not surprised to see you get slapped after how you were during yesterday's commotion." The woman continued. The blonde touched her stinging cheek with the back of her fist like it was nothing before asking Seren how it had gone for her.

"I received an apology. He felt guilty for not having been able to prevent that. And I also received an earful for yesterday's commotion that I should have kept quiet, and I should have known about the act by the military."

"But you knew about it, I heard you had predicted all that." Kira argued.

"I told you I'm not a fortune teller. I deduce the likeliest courses of actions given my knowledge of the factors and my instinct. And yes, I emitted that possibility but I didn't have any guarantee. We should have been shot down by the Orb fleet. That would have been the most rational solution. In doubt, I had to use all my cards."

"But to think you were from the Ledford family... and..." Cagalli began.

"You're talking about that?" Seren asked, showing her stone pendant.

"So you were really..."

"Yes. Even though both our fathers are Orb representatives, we didn't see each other much. And after what happened I practically had no contacts with people from here and started an entirely new life. And it looks like we only truly remembered each other just recently. But you know, I had guessed quite quickly that you were Uzumi-sama's daughter, although I wasn't sure either. Given how you behaved, how the Resistance was with you, how Colonel Kisaka was with you... you're so honest and spontaneous it would be plain impossible for you to succeed an infiltration mission." The dark haired girl explained and smiled teasingly in the end.

"What did you say?!"

"But I want to thank you again for this pendant. It has served me and protected me well." Seren said, suddenly so soft, so kind, so ingenuous.

"I-it wasn't much." Cagalli replied, flustered. Somehow, she would always feel completely helpless and submissive when Seren would have that expression and tone.

"So my safety and well-being aren't much..." The young female Coordinator teased again while looking sad. But she was unable to subdue the mischievous light in her eyes.

"I didn't say that!" the impulsive tomboy fell for it.

"Yes you did."

"You know what I meant!"

"Now, now, come with me you two." Erica said, amused, as she touched Kira's and Seren's shoulders.

The four entered a control room. Beyond the glass, three Astrays were on standby.

"Asagi, Juri, Mayura!"

"Yes!" The three women replied in the same time. They recognized Cagalli-sama and made a remark about her return. They sounded like older sisters who were coolly humoring a capricious child who had ran away on a whim while they had patiently waited for her fancy to pass without caring much. Cagalli stubbornly excused herself. Kira looked at her like he was a bit concerned about her feelings but Seren had turned away and was stifling her giggles. The test began on Erica's order. The mobile suits moved but were far too slow, too stiff and lacked range.

"Nothing's changed." The Orb princess lamented.

"But they're almost twice as fast now." Chief Simmons noted. Kira looked at her with a shocked and worried expression. With such limited mobility there was nothing they could do! Of course, Seren was of the same opinion. And so was Cagalli.

"But at this rate, they'd be defeated instantly. They'd be of no use out there except as targets for the enemy." Athha continued bluntly.

"You're so cruel!" Asagi Caldwell whined. She had chin-length wavy blonde hair and blue eyes and could be considered the effective leader of the test pilots trio. She was sixteen-year-old, just like her two friends.

"But it's the truth!" Cagalli retorted.

"Even though you don't know anything of others' hardships!" Mayura Labatt complained too. She had short ear-length dark red hair, purple eyes, and a tomboyish demeanor.

"The enemy won't know or care about that either!" The combative princess shot back.

"You can't even pilot this thing!" Juri Wu Nien argued. She could be identified by her straight shoulder-length dark blue hair and amber eyes behind her large pink glasses.

"You've said it now! Then let me switch with you!" Cagalli snapped. Erica stopped the conflict but entirely agreed with Cagalli.

"That's why you want to make them stronger, like our Strike and Blast. You want our technical cooperation in order to develop a support Operation System allowing Naturals to use mobile suits on the same level as Coordinators." Ledford concluded.

"That's right." The woman confirmed.

"You know, I heard a few things. Uzumi-sama and my father didn't know about the G project, but you did. You helped in their creation. You knew from your old friend Professor Kato. You also used Heliopolis to develop the prototypes of the Astrays. Unlike me and Kira who didn't have much of a choice in our do or die situation, you knowingly worked for the Earth Forces despite being a Coordinator yourself. Surely you thought that not much could be done with the OS from that time especially since the pilots were to be Naturals and the risks were minimal but things didn't go as planned. And instead of reporting and protecting Heliopolis, you used us and the Earth Alliance to gain as much data as possible for your Astrays." Seren spat, her voice dripping with venom and her fierce and seething glare boring into the senior engineer's. Kira looked shocked before his surprise turned into a frown full of resentment

"Oh my, it seems I've really made myself hated. Where did you hear that?" Erica questioned. Seren kept silent. "I see. Your family really loves talking... and knowing everything, and you're also very devoted to your members. But surely you've only heard half and deduced the other half. That's a Ledford for you. Indeed, you're right. But if you know that much, then surely you also understand why I did it..."

"Because there are things that can't be protected without fighting. And to fight, and to win, you need machines that are stronger and more efficient. If Orb is seriously attacked by ZAFT or the Earth Alliance now, it won't hold out for long." The girl looked down.

"And that's why you will still cooperate no matter how disgusted you are with my way of doing things." Simmons smiled. The two young Coordinators frowned before looking at the Astrays with mitigated expressions.

* * *

For the sake of peace, we use the power of destruction, because we don't know any better. To kill or be killed, are there no other alternatives? When each of our battles has only brought more battles, is it really alright for us to hope? Will this hope lead us to peace? We have no choice but to look for a way within the increasing heat of the spreading flames of war.


	26. Meeting is for parting

**Phase-26: Meeting is for parting**

Athrun and Nicol were walking in the lively port city of Onogoro. While it was true that this island was mainly used for military purposes, a significant amount of its population was plain civilians. The two were marvelling at the sheer peacefulness of the place even after yesterday's clamor right in Orb territory. Nicol wondered it if was because it was a neutral state... People were just walking around chatting, shopping, children were playing games, mothers were gossiping about their babies...

"A country of peace, huh?" Athrun uttered pensively.

After hours and hours of searching in pairs, the Zala Team reunited. Dearka and Nicol were sitting on a bench with Nicol looking through the information they had got on his PDA and Dearka complaining that they still hadn't found a trace of the Legged Ship despite having looked this much. It was not like he had expected to just find it docked at the harbor but still. Yzak was standing and looking at a warship docked in the port while Athrun, standing too, his arms crossed, was facing the opposite direction, towards military facilities. Yzak tampered that statement. A ship of that class couldn't be that easy to hide.

"It can't be that this ship has actually left, right? What'll we do?" Elsman wondered worriedly.

"What we want is confirmation. If it's here, it's here. If it's not, it's not. The military harbor and Morgenroete... seaside security is surprinsingly strict. We've got to find a way to search from within." Athrun answered.

"This does appear to be a troublesome nation, that's for sure." Yzak agreed. Zala sighed.

Inside the hidden facility, the repairs on the Archangel were still underway. The ship was being resupplied in the same time. The skygraspers also benefited from the maintenance under Mu La Flaga's watchful eyes.

"Our families?" Sai exclaimed. He and his fellow former students of Heliopolis were in the hallways, standing before the captain.

"Yes." Ramius answered. "In this situation we can't allow you to return to your homes. However, for a short time, we have received permission to let you see your families tomorrow afternoon at military HQ." She smiled in anticipation, knowing just the joy and excitation her announcement was going to evoke in the children. The teenagers cheered as expected. Only Flay was standing further back without rejoicing. This did not concern her because she didn't have any family waiting for her. She turned heels and left. Sai watched her a few seconds then turned back to the captain. No matter how melancholic Flay's expression, that was no longer his place to do anything.

In his office, Uzumi-sama was sitting at his desk and staring pensively at Kira's and Seren's files. The documents included their parents' information.

"Kira... Yamato... the possibility did cross my mind when I heard the name. But who would have imagined... and even Seren too..."

The two EA mobile suit pilots dressed in cream and orange worksuits (since they shouldn't be wearing military uniforms here) were helping with the maintenance of the Blast when Cagalli came to see them. She was wearing her usual cargo pants and red T-shirt. She really wasn't one to casually wear cute or sweetly feminine clothes. Kira commented that she was a strange princess to hang out at a place like this.

"Well, excuse me! And don't call me 'princess' when you don't even think of me as one. I hate being called that!"

"But it all makes sense now... the reason you were at Morgenroete that time." The boy continued, unfazed. Cagalli told them she had heard rumors that Morgenroete was giving the Earth Forces a helping hand in manufacturing mobile suits in Heliopolis and approached her father about it but he had kept avoiding the subject and wouldn't consider her seriously at all. So she had been left with no choice but to go confirm herself. And that had happened. She had seen the mobile suits, cried, and blamed her father and called him a traitor. "But he knew nothing about it, did he? Your father... I mean Representative Athha."

"Some people from within have said so. But my father never actually denied knowing. He'd say none of it matters... aside from the fact that it's all his responsibility, that's all. Even though I believed my father..." She leant on the railing of the causeway with a dejected expression. Kira sadly said her name at her side. Inside the Blast's cockpit, Seren kept quiet.

Then they heard maintenance staff complaining about the state of the Blast's propulsion, the abrasion to the conical hydro-dock, the rest of the drive system. The damage was quite severe. And it was the same for the Strike. These machines had been pushed to the brink. It was like they were screaming for help.

"You heard them." Cagalli said to the two Coordinators. Seren left her cockpit to look at her unit's head.

"Even so, there were lots of times when we didn't manage to protect." The three youths left to go buy drinks at the vending machines.

"Is that why you joined the resistance? Because you were pissed off and ran away from home?" Kira wondered.

"My father told me that I had no idea what goes on in this world. So I went to see for myself." The blonde one answered simply, appalling her two companions.

"In the desert, everyone fought desperately. Even though that land's just a pile of sand. Yet they all fought desperately just to protect it."

"How stupidly simple-minded of you. That's focusing too much on one thing. Someone who's in a position to become the leader of a country should be able to see the big picture, the connections between the different gears of the world, meet key people, traveled more and to different places..." Seren voiced her childhood friend's opinion a little too bluntly.

"That's not the problem!" Cagalli snapped. "What I mean is that Orb... even though we've got this much power, and after all we can do... we're just pretending to smile with both ZAFT and the Earth Forces. Don't you think that's unfair?! Don't you think that's cowardly?! Is that really alright?!"

"Would you rather fight, Cagalli?" Kira questioned. Cagalli jolted, now aware that she had sounded like a bloody-minded warmonger. But she didn't want that.

"I just want to put an end to this war!" She retorted.

"That's right, we all do. But the war will never end through fighting alone. Surely."

"There are definitely things that you can't protect through fighting..." Seren trailed off poignantly, recalling a certain night on a deserted island, alone with Athrun, how they had menaced to kill each other, and how they didn't. "And I think he wanted you to see and understand that. If you fight you kill, if you kill you will be killed for revenge, and your killer will be killed for revenge and so on. Hasn't there been enough of that? Because Kira and I can fight, we have to do that. But we don't want to. There are people on all sides we don't want to kill or be killed by anyone. And if Orb, refuge to both Naturals and Coordinators sides with the Earth Alliance, it will have to work with it to eliminate Coordinators, same if Orb sides with ZAFT. The country will be divided and Orb will no longer be Orb. But you Cagalli are in a position to act on it. If by talks you manage to preserve this tiny and peaceful paradise from the storm, if by talks you manage to keep people from fighting, you don't know just how invaluable that would be." The brunette smiled, but it was so earnest, so soft and sad that Cagalli couldn't reply and hurt her more and just looked down, pacified.

The next day, sometime in the afternoon at the military HQ, Sai, Kuzzey, Tolle and Milly climbed down the elevator and beamed. Their parents bolted upright when they saw them and cried their names. The children and their families ran into each other's arms. Every mother was crying, the children too. After over two months of constant fighting and tension after they had so suddenly been torn from their formerly peaceful life, they felt true relief and security for the first time. They felt love and support. They felt 'home'. However, aside from Seren who had already seen her family, Flay and Kira had chosen not to participate at the reunion. Flay was stacking the shelves of the communal showers with towels and bath products. Seren and Kira were resting in their own rooms and typing on their computers aboard the Archangel.

In Representative Athha's office, Haruma and Caridad Yamato were sitting on armchairs with Tobias Haydn Ledford sitting on the couch opposite them. Uzumi-sama entered and the three stood up and greeted him.

"Mr. and Mrs Yamato, I presume."

"Uzumi-sama, even though we promised to never meet again..." Caridad uttered deeply apologetic.

"As I am sure Tobias told you, call it a twist of fate. Because we had ceased all communications, our children met so early on. Seren and Cagalli, Seren and Kira, and now the three of them together. It couldn't be helped."

Flay slowly walked in the hallways. She stopped before the dining hall but after all there were only maintenance staff. She sighed and slowly walked on. She returned to the room she shared with and was surprised to his voice when he greeted her. Torii flew in and perched on his head. She asked him why.

"Oh, sorry. I'll be done in a moment, would you mind waiting? Or will you go first to the cafeteria?" Kira inquired, not noticing his girlfriend's horrified expression.

"Why didn't you go? Your family's here too, right, Kira? Why won't you go see them?" The red head said, sounding unusually cold and probing. While Tolly, Milly, Sai and Kuzzey were conversing merrily with their families, Kira's parents were still waiting patiently, apprehensively.

"This is taking longer than I expected. But I've got to get this done before the Archangel's departure."

"That's a lie! You're lying!" Flay suddenly and angrily slammed her hand on the table, shocking Kira who looked up at her fearfully. "What is it? Are you pitying me?! You? Towards me?" She continued with disdain.

"Flay..." The boy whispered.

"Because no one's come to see me? So you're feeling sorry for me?! Is that it?!" She yelled, furious, loathful, and resentful as she started crying. Hearing the pain and bitterness through the hate, Kira stood up and tried to deny it, to make her feel better. "Get real! Stop it! Why should I have the likes of you pitying me?!" For Flay who had sworn revenge against Kira and all Coordinators, having that man she should only consider as a tool and ultimately an enemy feeling pity for her could be called the utmost humiliation. Even though Kira's pity was most genuine and heartfelt kindness, sympathy and empathy, seen through Flay's filter of unsympathetic insincerity, it would most likely look as feeling of superiority and condescension on his part. And what also hurt him very much was that she didn't even consider his feelings, that he could have other reasons for refusing to see his parents. But the worst for her was that despite all that, she could still feel his kindness and sincerity and just how real they were. And they pierced her heart, making her see how ugly it had become.

"Flay..." He said again as he tried to touch her but she slapped his hand away.

"You're the one who's suffered the most, right? You're the one people should feel sorry for, right?" This time, her voice was dripping with so much contempt and derision that even Kira reacted. It was the first time since they had started going out that she showed such strong and open aversion towards him. And they felt awfully and painfully more real than her usual honeyed words. "Kira has it tough... Kira's all alone... You continue fighting and you continue suffering... You're unable to protect people and you continue suffering... You instantly start crying... And so... so..." She sobbed as she mocked the gentle boy as a weak crybaby before hitting his chest with her fists.

And as this girl kept weeping and leaning on him, Kira remembered the little Elle-chan who had given him the paper flower and whom he couldn't protect, before Flay had given him that same flower, symbol of his powerlessness, and he had broken apart. He remembered how he had hurt his great friend and Flay's fiancé, Sai, in order to keep her and the sheer pain and disappointment in Seren's eyes and her constant reproaches from that point on. He remembered Flay's kisses and all too forceful seduction. And he remembered how Seren had threatened him after their meeting with Andrew Waltfeld, how he had then tried to take her back... and failed when Seren had rejected him.

"So how... how can you feel sorry for me?!"

"Flay... stop it. Let's end this. Us... it was a mistake, we were wrong..." Kira said, his voice filled with distress. Seren had been right. This kind of false relationship, it was wrong after all, it could only bring pain and make everyone unhappy. In that case...

"What do you mean?! What is that supposed to mean?!" The girl shouted before pushing him away and running away. The Coordinator held his head in his hand with an anguished expression while Flay was running, tears streaming down her eyes. She knew that already. But she could not stop now because she had already decided.

The setting sun signaled the time for goodbyes for the former Heliopolis students and their families.

"Must you go so soon?" Tolle's mother questionned like she was begging him to stay. Her son told her that it couldn't be helped. Kuzzey's father asked him when the ship would, clearly hoping to see his son again before it departed but the boy didn't know the answer.

"Why must you go too?" Miriallia's mother inquired with a quivering voice. She was a girl.

"I can't do anything about it. I enlisted." Milly replied sadly.

"If that's your decision I can't stop you, but..." Sai's father placed his hands on his child's shoulders. Before he knew it, he had become a man, although he had never wished for it to happen that way.

"I'll be alright, dad." His son reassured him. In that situation, the children were stronger than their parents. They embraced one last time, praying for each other's safety.

"No matter what should happen, there is no way we will reveal the truth to that child." Caridad said.

"I see, what about you, Tobias?" Uzumi turned to the man next to him.

"Of course, neither will I."

"Are you sure? She will raise hell if she comes to find out about it on her own... Especially since you're the one who taught her to never lie to family and to the people one wishes to consider as close..." The leader trailed off.

"I also taught her it was better to ask forgiveness than permission when you believed yourself in the right." Representative Ledford replied with a small smile.

"So I take it you won't even tell them about their siblings..." Uzumi-sama asked the three of them. However, even if they felt sorry for their children, they also believed it was in their best interest. And the Yamato couple would honor their first promise made to their leader not to see each other again. But while he accepted their decision, he also cautioned them about it. Not knowing anything could be very scary. In fact, the children had met with no prior knowledge of each other. Haruma told them to stop summing this situation as fate. If they were shaken up, the children would surely feel it. Lord Uzumi agreed and inquired why Kira had not come to see them.

"I can only imagine that right now, he does not wish to see us..." Caridad surmised sadly.

The following day, Asagi was testing an upgraded Astray. And now even though she, a Natural, was piloting this mobile suit, the smoothness of its movements had gotten a lot closer to that of the Strike and Blast. The workers, as well as Juri and Mayura, were staring with awed expressions but Erica and Mu were more objective. As they kept typing, Kira and Seren explained that they had created a new quantum sub-routine, increased the relative speed of the synapse fusing by 40% and redesigned the molecular structure of the ion pumps to better comply with the reflexes of the average naturals. Torii was perched on the boy's shoulder while Chacha was lying belly down on the girl's head. Chief Simmons praised the two for having done so much in such a short time. The childhood friends kept quiet as they did not appreciate being praised for something like this. La Flaga wondered whether it would perform this well if he piloted it.

"That's right, Commander. Want to give it a try?" Erica replied, always eager to obtain more data. "Asagi, you may finish now." She told Caldwell. The M1 operator obeyed.

The three EA pilots as well as the three Orb test pilots and Erica left the area. They separated. Kira and Seren wanted to work on the Strike. And Mu followed them. He asked Kira why he looked so upset. The boy denied making such a face but of course that didn't fool anyone. The commander had heard Kira had declined the chance to meet with his parents and wanted to know why. When the teen didn't answer, he insisted.

"Even if I did meet them, I'm a soldier now." Kira said like he didn't know how to face his parents now that he had become a tool for killing. Murdoch told the kids he had increased the output of the Strike's thursters by 18% and he wanted them to check the parameters of the momentum control. They agreed. The boy climbed into the cockpit, activated the mobile suit and started typing on the keyboard. Seren sat down on the Strike's chest and did the same on a laptop. She had been unusually quiet.

"You may be a soldier but you're still yourself. I'm sure your parents are hoping to see you." The man insisted.

"Day in and day out, this is all I do. I fight battles in a mobile suit and help with its development and maintenance... because I can. I'll be fighting against ZAFT again as soon as we leave Orb." Kira affirmed. He was thinking of the Duel, the Blitz, the Buster, and the Aegis... Athrun. And Seren was thinking the same. He was doing his best to accept a situation he knew he could not escape so he didn't want people to try pulling him backwards and criticize his method of coping with things. The commander was going to protest when he was interrupted by the Archangel's chief mechanic again who wanted to give updates about parts they were waiting for. Mu sighed. "I can't stand thinking that if I meet them now, I might ask them."

"Ask them what?"

"Why the hell did you make me a Coordinator?" The Strike's pilot said. At this, Mu couldn't reply anything. If Kira hadn't been a Coordinator, he wouldn't have had to pilot a war machine to fight and kill his own kind. And that made the MA's pilot worried about Seren's condition and feelings, so he also asked her about her meeting with her father.

"I... thought about asking too. But I didn't. I didn't see the point. Had I been born Natural, my life might have been different, but not necessarily easier. I might have been dead already, maybe without having been able to do a single thing I was able to do as a Coordinator. It's impossible to know what could have happened or to change the past. So we didn't talk much about what had happened or could have happened. We talked about what's going to happen and what may happen in the future. Because there are things you can't protect through fighting, and there are also things you can't protect without fighting..." She trailed off. But before Mu could ask about details Torii and Chacha suddenly flew away together. Since even when they were called they wouldn't come back, the teens were forced to go after them.

Below the orange and purple sky, the setting sun was bathing the island in a golden light. The waves were gently rolling against the breakwater. The four ZAFT soldiers of the Zala Team were surveying the military complex on the other side of the road. It was the main factory of the Morgenroete. It was surrounded by a high fence. And of course, their abilitation did not allow them to enter. Yzak remarked the security was tighter here than at the naval base and asked about the progress of their attempts at hacking their system.

"The system's multi-layered. It's going to take considerable time to break it. It may be quicker to capture someone who can get past the security." Athrun answered. Nicol compared this country to a wolf in sheep's clothing. It was then Athrun heard a 'torii' and a distinctive chittering sound and looked up. His eyes widened when he saw Torii and Chacha. He unfolded his arms and walked a few steps. He extended his arms and the mechanic bird landed on the back of his hand while the tiny squirrel ran up his other arm to his collar. He caught it and held it in his hand, his thumb on its belly, and approached the bird too. He stared at them. His comrades drew closer to look over his sides and back.

"What's that?" Yzak wondered.

"Wow, a robotic bird and a robotic squirrel." Nicol exclaimed. Athrun looked up again, hoping, dreading, waiting for the two he knew would come. And indeed, Kira and Seren came out of the factory, looking for their lost pets, calling them. Athrun's eyes widened again in horror.

"Oh no, where could it have gone?" Kira lamented.

"If you don't come back right now I'll dismantle you!" Seren threatened.

"Geez, why are you always talking like that? It won't come back if you're like this. Your language is too aggressive..."

"Idiot, as if I'd actually dismantle something that guy gave me. And no matter how I talked, it always came back. You're the one who's too airbrained. Or would it be better if I spoke softly and was like this?" The brunette engaged him in a side headlock.

"Waaahh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" The boy tapped her back repeatedly as sign he was giving up.

"And what is THAT?" Yzak asked again.

"A lover's quarrel?" Dearka wondered.

"Aren't they siblings?" Nicol suggested. "Those robots must be theirs." He smiled. The two looked up, looking for their pets when their eyes fell right before them. Athrun was walking over to them with Torii and Chacha in his hands. Kira's and Seren's eyes widened too with the same shock, pain, and fear as that person, their enemy, and their most cherished friend, slowly advanced towards them. He had a straight face but his expression was tighter than usual as he was doing his best to keep all his tumultuous feelings from showing. The two also approached.

Cagalli, in the passenger seat of a jeep driven by Erica Simmons saw Kira and Seren going over to the fence to meet someone. She told the senior engineer to stop the car. The three childhood friends stopped a meter from each other. The girl's heart was racing. Even though only a fence was separating them and they could even touch the one on the other side, to them that fence felt nothing less than an insurmountable wall. Athrun stretched out his hands.

"Are they... yours?" He stammered a little, trying to keep his voice composed.

"Yeah, thank... you." The two on the other side struggled to do the same. Kira cupped his hands and Torii hopped onto them. Seren approached her hand like for a handshake. Chacha climbed out of Athrun's hand and passed onto hers. As they withdrew their hands, their fingers touched and the ZAFT soldier fought the urge to grab her hand. The wind blew. He was called by his comrades who had already boarded their car. He turned to join them.

"A friend gave them to us!" Kira cried quickly, desperate to convey his feelings. The midnight blue haired boy stopped dead in his tracks to look back at them. "It's a very precious thing that a very precious friend gave me."

"That's right. These little guys are our most precious treasures, so..." Seren rubbed her cheek against Chacha who put his tiny hands on her cheek. Her eyes were closed but a small pearl of water was beading at her corner of her eyes. She opened them again. They were glistening with such a strong and desperate plea. His chest tightened. His expression reflected the same despair, his green eyes the same sorrow and anguish. They stared at each other before Athrun turned again. What use in drawing out goodbyes if they only brought more pain? What they wished for... could not be granted.

"I see..." The ZAFT soldier said. Kira and Seren heard Cagalli screaming their names and running towards them. With one last look, Athrun hung his head and left. Seren and Kira made a move to stop him, to say something, to hold him back but were unable to finish. They couldn't do it. Cagalli arrived in their middle and placed a hand on their shoulders but her eyes were fixed on the teens on the other side. Athrun who was walking away and Kira and Seren who were watching him helplessly... the same scenes were replaying through their minds.

Their goodbyes at Copernicus City among the cherry blossoms, their reunion at Heliopolis amidst the flames of war Athrun had sparked in the colony, the fights that ensued, when Seren had nearly captured him, and later, when Athrun had almost captured Kira but Seren had stopped him, this time when they gave Lacus back to him... Even for Athrun and Seren who had well-nigh come together on that island... although they had connected so many times, they were still on opposite sides. It was impossible for them to cross over. And despite that, it was impossible for them to forget or throw that picture where the three of them were laughing together.

* * *

Even though they wished so strongly to see their loved ones again, it lasted but an instant before they had to part again. Prayers are always full of despair. Do we look back because we are strong or because we are weak? No matter how many waves crash down as we cry out to our memories, we can't ever return to the shore the other is on. Every brief and fleeting wish broke down and scattered in the wind, but even so, we will still keep wishing.


	27. Those who leave

**Phase-27: Those who leave**

"Judging from the situation, our greatest concern is Panama. As a result of the rumors about ZAFT planning a large-scale operation, things appear to be bustling at Carpentaria." Colonel Kisaka informed the officers of the Archangel. He had joined them on the bridge. The ship was still under repair. After all, it had been considerably degraded by ZAFT's relentless attacks.

"How reliable is your intel?" Natarle inquired.

"I'm not sure. But Orb is also in a difficult position. We want as much information as possible, but at the same time, we don't want to wake a sleeping beast. But since you're heading for Alaska, I believe this'll work in your favor."

"Even if we are pursued, once we pass the Tropic of Cancer, we're in Alaska's air defence territory." Neumann agreed. "I can't imagine they'll chase us that far."

"What's the latest on the team that's been following us?' Ramius questioned. The Colonel answered there had been no ships in Orb's neighouring waters. "So they've given up and left?" She wondered. That was what Ledonir wanted to believe since much discussion took place on the diplomatic front but it was still doubtful. The Earth Forces captain told them that Seren had mentioned having also infered that this team was actually bidding their time in a submarine.

"Are the rumors true that former Representative Athha knew nothing about this ship and the mobile suits back then?" Badgiruel asked, although she obviously didn't feel well about this.

"Badgiruel-chuui!" Murrue berated her for impoliteness as it was the same as if she had just up and openly questioned the Orb leader's ability to run a country and accused him of incompetence. But she was silenced by the Orb soldier.

"It is true that he knew nothing about it. A number of cabinet ministers acted independantly yielding to the pressure from the Atlantic Federation. Close ties with Morgenroete were also disclosed. I do understand the opinion held by some that Orb should make clear which side they're with. However, if we get involved in the war, it is the civilians who will suffer the most as was the case with Heliopolis." Kisaka explained. The EA officers looked down guiltily. "That's the last thing Lord Uzumi wants, and that's why he continues stating his position on this knowing the difficulties of maintaining it... although you might view him as unrealistic."

"No..."

"How are the repairs coming?"

"I'm told that they'll be done sometime tomorrow." Ramius-kanchou replied. Kira and Seren had met Athrun 5 days ago.

"You only have a little way to go. Hang in there." The Colonel encouraged kindly. The others saluted, and so did he. He started leaving when the captain stopped him and deeply thanked him for everything. "Don't mention it. You helped us all as well. I no longer have any family there, but I was born in Tassil." He said, surprising everyone. "There's no meaning in temporary victories. Even though I knew that, when I saw what was happening, I just had to do something. And I was also able to bring our rowdy runaway girl home. I thank you very much." He left.

Two Vosgulov-class carrier submarines were hidden between islets. The Cousteau, which had been assigned to the Zala Team, was being resupplied there. However, while Athrun was sitting atop the carrier and staring off in the distance, the wind blowing in his midnight blue hair, inside, Yzak was lying in his bed and complaining about him to his friend Dearka sitting at the table and reading a magazine with pretty girls in bikini. Geez, what was Athrun thinking? And they were even being replenished here! The day after they had met those bickering kids and their robotic pets, he had said confidently: "The Legged Ship is still in Orb. I'm sure of it. Once they leave, they'll be going north. We'll set a net here." Yzak had of course demanded to know on what grounds he had based his opinion. And for once even Nicol had found Athrun too unreasonable and asked that they returned to Carpentaria so they could reassess the facts since they had no proof! But that guy had insisted, sounding so sure of himself and without even explaining anything! It had been two weeks already! If they were wrong, the Legged Ship was long gone, maybe already in Alaska!

"If you wanna take over the unit, I'll help." Dearka suggested with a smile, surprising his comrade. "Well, how about it? Want to do a coup d'État?" He laughed, only half joking.

"Unfortunately, I'm not that simple-minded." Joule smirked before sinking back on his bed, his usual irritated expression once more plastered on his face.

The supply pipes returned inside the second submarine. Athrun was remembering the last time he had seen Kira and Seren. _"A friend gave them to us! It's a very precious thing that a very precious friend gave me." _Kira had said._ "That's right. These little guys are our most precious treasures, so..." _Seren had added. But even though they cherished their friendship so much, they were still on the other side of the fence... and he also remembered Seren claiming a number of times not being part of the Earth forces, and their conversation on that deserted island as well... _"Kira and I may be wearing the Earth Forces uniform now but my true loyalty lies with Orb. The Earth Alliance and ZAFT are wrong, and I know Orb was wrong too. But I don't want you to blame the whole country of Orb, my country, just because of the selfish actions of a few individuals who betrayed their nation's ideals." _ Right, before the Orb army, she had introduced herself as Seren Elvira Ledford. She was truly a member of Orb's nobility. Even to him, she had never told the truth... but even if it hurt him, when he thought of her mother, he could somehow understand. Instead of fighting and risking their lives, they had chosen this simple peace Helen-san had striven so hard to protect through diplomatic means. Although he had never met her personally, he had heard a lot about her from his own mother, and knew all she had done for peace. But even that peace had been threatened. It had been destroyed when he and his comrades had attacked Heliopolis.

Although she had been forced to enlist as an Earth Alliance soldier, her heart didn't belong to them, and it didn't belong to ZAFT either because of Heliopolis. She didn't want to choose a side, like her country of Orb. And despite that... she could still look at him like that, they had those feelings which made him try to kiss her that day on that island. Even just the other day, even with that fence between them, had they been alone, he would have surely tried to reach out to her again and kiss her... If only she could use this chance to leave the Earth Forces... but she was certainly going to stay... for Kira, for her friends who had enlisted, and for him... Suddenly, Nicol called his name, snapping him out of his daydream. The youngest member of the Zala Team ran to Athrun.

"The resupplying is over, right?" He sounded very excited. Athrun confirmed. "We can see flying fish from the deck over there. Want to go look?" He suggested almost like a begging child, which amused his friend who nonetheless refused. "Are you worried?" Nicol asked concernedly. He had noticed his comrade's downheartedness behind his smile. Zala appeared genuinely surprised. "It'll be fine. I believe in you Athrun, I mean Commander." He said reassuringly. Athrun could not help but smile faintly at the boy's sheer kindness and care.

"Why did you volunteer to fight for the military, Nicol?" The team leader inquired after a time. Both were now sitting down. But before his expression of surprise, he apologized. "Ah, I'm sorry, that's none of my business."

"It's okay. I felt that I too should be fighting... after seeing the news about Junius 7... What about you, Athrun?"

"I'm the same."

Two days later, the floodgates inside the Morgenroete's hidden factory opened. Water slowly filled the canal. And the Archangel was afloat. Kuzzey looked at the navigator's – Tolle's – empty seat and sighed heavily. Milly was looking down at her monitor, fear and worry etched onto her face.

"I'll be alright! I've had a ton of simulation training! I can do it!" Tolle was insisting confidently and reassuringly inside the second skygrasper. He had of course already donned his pilot suit. Seren was still trying to dissuade him to participate in the battle as a pilot. She had been at it since he had first told her about it. And so was Kira. It was true that the burden on the current pilots would be lessened with the addition of the second fighting plane, and the Strike was at a disadvantage on Earth's surface too. But the two Coordinators wanted their most precious friend to be in a safe place. However, Tolle had always been the most protective of them, the first to step before danger for their sake. He wanted to help them and fight for them like they were fighting for him and everyone, because they were friends. And he said he'd just be observing from the air and supporting the Strike... La Flaga asked if those had been orders from Lieutenant Badgiruel.

"I volunteered! I've got to do what I can!" He replied. He wasn't an idiot, yet he sounded confident. He knew the dangers and had still decided to fight out of sheer kindness and caring for his pilot friends. And there was a tiny touch of pride. Kira and Seren could not say anything that would work at this point. They had already tried everything. They were touched and in the same time they were scared. Seren was remembering that night on that island with Athrun. They had threatened to kill each other. They had talked about that possibility, and if Kira and Athrun fought each other, about what would happen then. And still, despite that, they had been unable to restrain their feelings for each other. Even if they were on opposite sides of the fence, even though they knew they shouldn't be having these feelings and things would be so much less painful if they didn't, they could no longer ignore them. The situation was difficult enough as it was, they were already doing their very best to maintain the delicate balance of forces and keep it from crumbling. But if Tolle were fight and tip that balance... if he were to be killed... if Athrun's comrades were to be killed... if their hate and resentment grew enough for them to kill each other... then...

And that made her recall a conversation she had had with her father. It had happened right after she had met her aunt and uncle, as soon as the Archangel had arrived in Orb since after that she had refused to meet him again. He had asked her about her plans for the future and she had informed him of her choice to remain on the Archangel as the Blast's pilot. He had questioned her decision and offered to pull some strings to make her drop out and allow her to remain here. After her initial refusal he had showed her documents proving the corruption of the Earth Alliance, and particularly the Atlantic Federation, Alaska, by Blue Cosmos.

"Seren, you've already learned the limits of your strength. And you already know what will happen if you continue. Haven't you endured enough? Is there any meaning in walking a path that you know will only make you suffer more and more? You should leave while you still can, before you get crushed. You can fight here too. Cagalli will need your help. And certainly, you don't want to fight Athrun, or risk your life for those people at Alaska."

"Thank you father, but I decided to go because I know. Leaving the Earth Alliance aside, I don't want that ship to sink. Only that ship... and it's certainly going to be attacked as soon as it will leave Orb. And even I, with my meagre power, there should still be things I can do, things I can protect... and I want to try protecting them for as long as I can. I want to find out the things I can and must do on my own, and for that I feel that I have to go with them... Besides... my hands are already stained with blood... I can't go back now, not the way I am..." The tears that had welled up in her amber eyes, threatening to fall, finally overflowed. "So please, don't tempt me like that now. It's no use even if you do..." The girl had sobbed as her parent had taken her in his arms. She didn't want to fight... she didn't want to go... she didn't want to risk killing Athrun or one of his friends... she didn't want to be hated by him... or by Kira... just thinking of that, she was absolutely terrified... for those people at Alaska... for Blue Cosmos... Such a gut-churning feeling... it was making her sick. If she allowed her emotions to go unbridled, she'd scream and cry and stay forever huddled in a dark corner. But she could not do that. She must not. Because she wanted to protect Kira and Tolle and that ship. Even if she stayed, she could not escape. She could not escape guilt or regrets. So at least, she had to go and try.

In the lounge, Flay and other maintenance staff were watching the monitor where they could see the footage of the Archangel being put afloat.

In her (very princesslike) room, Cagalli was getting ready to leave. She was in her cargo pants, red t-shirt, army boots and bulletproof jacket. She was thinking of Kira and Seren, and that guy they had been talking to the other day. And she couldn't get their expressions out of her head. They definitely knew and treasured each other, but then why were they so sad? If they were truly friends and allies then why did they keep quiet about him? After that she had told Rayner about it and he had made her promise not to say a word about it to anyone. What were they hiding? She was so worried about her friends, she had to protect them. Her father entered.

"Are you planning to join them on that ship?"

"Yes."

"So you're planning to be an Earth Forces soldier and fight against the PLANTs? Do you wish to fight that badly?"

"No! It's not as if I want to fight! I want to help them! And I want to quickly put an end to this damn war!"

"Will the war end if you fight?" Uzumi questioned back. At this, Cagalli froze. Kira... _"But the war will never end through fighting alone. Surely." _And Seren..._"There are definitely things that you can't protect through fighting..." _And Andrew Waltfeld too... _"So how are winners and losers determined? At what point do we put an end to it? When every single enemy has been eliminated?"_

"No, but..."

"If you kill someone's husband, his wife will hate you. If you kill someone's son, his mother will hate you. And if someone kills you, I will hate that person. Why can't you understand this simple vicious cycle?!"

"I understand that! But I can't be the only one remaining in this country, sitting back like everything's fine!"

"What can you accomplish with such a cheap and smug sense of heroism?!" The man snapped. She had changed from her time in the resistance, acting on feelings alone, without considering her actual 'power'. "Pointing a gun isn't the only way to fight. Learn the causes of war, Cagalli." He added softly, placing his strong hands on her shoulders.

"Father..." The blonde girl muttered. Seren... had also said that... "_If Orb, refuge to both Naturals and Coordinators sides with the Earth Alliance, it will have to work with it to eliminate Coordinators, same if Orb sides with ZAFT. The country will be divided and Orb will no longer be Orb. But you Cagalli are in a position on act on it. If by talks you manage to preserve this tiny and peaceful paradise from the storm, if by talks you manage to keep people from fighting, you don't know just how invaluable that would be."_

"Attacking each other isn't going to end anything." He said, echoing the words of his daughter's friends. Cagalli stared pensively at the gun lying on her bed.

Orb battleships left the docks. The Archangel received a message of the Orb fleet. No ships in the surrounding waters. Sailing according to schedule. As per Ramius' orders, Pal transmitted their acknowledgement of the message. Sai was surprised that the Orb fleet would actually be escorting them. Tonomura replied they were offering cover. The more ships there were, the more difficult it would be to locate the Archangel and it was also easier to falsify the data afterwards.

Uzumi, Tobias, Rayner, Erica, Ledonir, as well as Caridad and Haruma Yamato were watching the Earth Alliance vessel from one of the large window panels overlooking the now flooded dry dock. Pal informed that former Representative Athha had arrived on the docks and was requesting that Ensign Yamato and Ensign Ledford came to the upper deck. And after a few minutes, Kira and Seren came out of the trap door onto the upper deck as instructed. They heard Cagalli's voice screaming their names. They looked down and saw her running onto the platform leading into the ship. Why?!

"Your parents! They're here!" She yelled, pointing at the window. She was dressed as a Supreme Chief of the Orb Army. Shocked, the two Coordinators looked in the direction. His father was waving with a small smile and his mother had her hands against the glass. She was talking but of course, he could not hear what she was saying. Then she started crying. Haruma held her in a comforting manner and looked at his son. He nodded approvingly, telling him to do as his heart desired. It was the same for Seren's family. Even if they were apart, they were still a family, and they would always support their children and believe in them. The two hung their heads sadly. "Kira... why won't you meet them? And Seren, since that time I've heard you kept refusing any sort of contact!" Cagalli climbed out of the trapdoor too, out of breath from all her running. "Hey!"

"Could you tell them 'sorry, but not now' for us? Right now... we..." Kira began as tears fell from his eyes. Seren had already turned around. They had kept fighting Athrun, and they were going to keep fighting him from now on, even though to them he was...

"Okay." She agreed. The enhanced humans started leaving.

"Take care of yourself too, Cagalli. And thanks for everything." They smiled at the blonde girl.

"Kira! Seren!" The princess threw herself in their arms and hugged them for dear life. "Don't get yourselves killed."

"Don't worry, we'll be alright."

The gate of the facility opened and the Archangel sailed out at low speed in the morning mist. It was April 15th.

"They're on maneuvers?" Athrun interogated hours later as he entered the Cousteau's control room.

"Yes, although it wasn't scheduled. They're headed northeast. Haven't you found out yet what ships they are?" The captain asked his subordinates.

"We'll prepare for battle. Please hurry with those IDs." The boy said after looking at the monitor for a time before leaving.

Hours passed, the Archangel was almost at the territorial borders and still no sign of enemies in the area.

"Keep watch. As we leave the fleet, we'll lift off from the waters and proceed at maximum battle speed." Murrue instructed. Kuzzey relayed a message from the flagship: now turning back. We wish you the best of luck. "Reply, 'we appreciate your escort.'."

In the hangar, Kira and Seren were walking to their respective mobile suits, fully dressed in their pilot suits. Murdoch asked them what was wrong since no orders had been given out yet. But they knew ZAFT would attack as soon as they'd leave the Orb territory. The Archangel separated from the fleet and soared into the sky. This was reported into the Cousteau. Yzak was shocked. Dearka whistled, impressed.

"You were right, Athrun." Nicol said, smiling.

"We're taking off! Today's the day we sink the Legged Ship!" Athrun declared strongly. The hatches opened, the vertical catapults deployed, and the mobile suits launched, followed by their Guuls. Their approach was detected by the Archangel and their ID checked. They had been hiding and setting up a net. Murrue ordered to prepare for anti-mobile suit and underwater battle. They just needed to get away from them. She knew it was going to be difficult but she wished everyone luck.

"ECM at maximum strength! Deploy smoke dischargers! Lay down smokescreen on both sides!" Natarle instructed. Kira had equipped the Aile Strike, Seren the Storm Blast Away packs, La Flaga the Blade Blast and Tolle the Sword Striker. Seren took a power plug and connected it to the Siegfried cannon. She stood on standby. Smoke poured from the dischargers on the bridge tower and smoke bombs were launched.

"Don't be so nervous." La Flaga reassured his fellow skygrasper pilot. All you need to do is support the Strike from above."

"Y-yes, sir!"

"Let's go! Don't get shot down!" The veteran launched.

"Course clear. Skygrasper Koenig, take off!" Haw-nitohei said professionally before adding in a worried voice "Be careful..." The second fighting plane sortied.

The ZAFT soldiers were annoyed by the smokescreen trick, and surprised at the appearance of the second aircraft. They fired. Tolle screamed but dodged in time. La Flaga praised him. Koenig sent the enemy coordinates and targeting data to Seren. She felt a pang in her heart as she heard his voice but rogered nonetheless. The sights unfolded before her eyes and she typed on her keyboard. She was to blow open a path through sheer strength and deal as much damage as possible in a preemptive strike before returning to the Archangel and letting Kira handle the rest and then she could still ho help him if necessary. She fired her 300mm Siegfried cannon in the middle of the enemy, forcing them to disperse. After a few more volleys passing dangerously close to the ZAFT units, the girl unplugged her weapon, let go of her heavy cannon and took flight.

"Blast!" Yzak shouted hatefully as the EA mobile suit soared through the smoke. His Guul shot missiles.

"I'm not letting you past!" Dearka yelled and fired his gunlauncher and beam rifle. Both he and his friend were recalling their humiliation in the desert. As Seren had expected, her first opponents were going to be these two, the rashest duo. She evaded and got the Buster's Guul with her 88mm beam rifle. Dearka couldn't react in time as the Blast kicked him away. Yzak cursed her and attacked but his Guul was hit too. Smoking, it was losing altitude. Athrun screaming his name but now it was his turn to be under Seren's fire. He shielded himself.

_Seren... _He swore innerly. She passed him by. The Aegis and the Blitz shot but the Svalinn shield absorbed their beams. And as preoccupied by her as they were, they barely dodged the Gottfried's volley in time. The Archangel came out of the smoke. On Natarle's order, the Valiant and Helldarts fired, though all the projectiles were detonated.

"Link their vector data to the nav-com! Ensign Neumann, maintain course!" Badgiruel shouted her orders. Kira launched and unsheathed his beam saber. Nicol hurled his Gleipnir piercer lock which was sliced in two. His own beam saber came out of his Trikeros shield as he parried the Strike's slash. Sparks flew. Meantime, Athrun had been designated as target by both Seren and La Flaga who was employing the Blast's Schwert Gewehr Lanze. However, although he was able to avoid being hit, he couldn't go to his comrade's help either.

Flying over the battlefield, Tolle watched the explosions, the beams and mobile weapons zooming through the air and felt fear down to the deepest pit of his guts. He was experiencing first hand a glimpse of what Kira and Seren had had to go through all this time. And he felt naïve for having thought he could understand them from what he could see from the bridge. This was completely different. But all the more, he felt compelled to go to their aid. He whispered his friends' names to give himself strength and swerved down. The Strike and Blitz disengaged. Nicol was clearly going to launch his lancer darts at almost point blank range when the second skygrasper's missiles hit him. He cursed.

"Kira!" Tolle screamed.

"Tolle!" Kira shouted before severing the black mobile suit's right arm and kicking it away. Nicol screamed as he fell and the Strike took place on the Guul. Only Athrun was left. He and Kira engaged in a shoot out while Seren was watching them anxiously. Athrun roared. But his impatience and upset caused a second of careless during which his Guul was hit. Kira leapt as the two subflighters collided and detonated. The Aegis transformed into a MA and fired its Scylla multi-phase energy cannon. The X105 evaded and landed on the deck of the Archangel. The Blast and the Gottfried shot and grazed the red unit, forcing it to transform back into a mobile suit. It went down and landed on one the small rocky islets.

"Kira! I'm sending the Sword to you!" Tolle yelled. The Blast was firing its Igelstellung, Vulcan Gun and cluster bombs at the Aegis with an occasional shot from her rifle. Athrun was gritting his teeth as he was pressured and constrained into such a defensive position by his female childhood friend and the girl he felt so strongly for. What more, his power level had reached a critical level. The Strike came down on him. He stepped back but the sword sliced his rifle.

"Kira, don't chase him too far!" Seren warned as she stopped firing. She was... really doing her best to keep balance on the forces.

"Retreat already! You guys have lost!" Yamato ordered.

"How dare you..." Athrun had been picked in his pride as a ZAFT pilot and team commander. He activated his right hand beam saber and lunged.

"Stop it, Athrun! I don't want to fight you anymore!" He begged. Athun slashed, and Kira jumped up and swung down his sword that was parried and deflected in another shower of sparks.

"What are you saying now?! Shoot me! You said that's what you'd do!" The ZAFT soldier stubbornly insisted. He attacked more vigorously but his strike was parried too. "You've said before that you'd destroy me the next time!" He shouted angrily as he discarded his shield for more speed and slashed. Kira blocked and turned the blow aside and countered with a powerful punch in the face that knocked the Aegis over. It was then the red unit's power level dropped down and the machine turned gray.

"Athrun!" The EA pilot shouted warningly, raising his sword above his head.

"Athrun!" Seren screamed too, as if pleading him to live, pleading him to surrender. But suddenly, their attention was diverted.

"Athrun, fall back!" Nicol cried. He was deactivating his mirage colloid and lunging at Kira, one of his lancer darts in hand. He howled and thrust his weapon.

"Kira!" The female Coordinator yelled this time. Kira fearfully sidestepped to avoid it and instinctively retaliated by slicing through the cockpit of the Blitz. Nicol screamed. It was too late when Kira noticed what he was doing. Horrified, he let go and backed a few steps but the blade had already penetrated far too deep. Sparks flew.

"Athrun, run awa-" But the boy could not finish. The three childhood friends watched, appalled, paralyzed, as the Blitz exploded, Nicol's last thoughts being for his mother, and his piano. Shaking, shocked by what he had done, Kira stared at his hands in horror, the hands that had killed his most cherished friend – Athrun's – precious comrade... but even though she could hear his wailing, Seren was in no state to comfort him. Petrified, her mouth agape, quivering, she was crying silently. She cried for everything that was lost. The balance had crumbled. They had crossed the line of no return.

"NICOL!" Athrun screamed with all his sorrow and anguish. And his scream resounded in Kira's and Seren's hearts, breaking them.

* * *

Knowing that someone would be sacrificed, we fought, believing we could protect someone. There was no other way. But even though we understood that, we still thought we could avoid more people being sacrificed, we thought we could surpass that. But the smile that disappeared in those flames, the scream that echoed, taught us the true meaning of pain and war.


	28. Tempest

**Phase-28: Tempest**

"NICOL!" Athrun screamed with all his sorrow and anguish. And his scream resounded in Kira's and Seren's hearts, breaking them. Just then, The Duel and Buster shot from the sea into the air. They saw the burning remains of the Blitz, consternation written all over their features. Nicol... it couldn't be... They landed. Athrun's eyes narrowed in hatred. Yzak cursed the Strike. He attacked. Dearka yelled Athrun's name and fired at the X105 too. Kira dodged, although a bit sloppily. Seren shot at the ZAFT soldiers, providing cover for her fellow EA pilot.

"Kira! That's enough! Return now! Don't pursue them any further!" Seren yelled with a pleading edge. If he stayed he would get killed. The Strike took off. The Blast came inbetween and its Svalinn Shield stopped the Duel's and the Buster's beams. Seren launched her cluster bombs and fired her Vulcan gun and Igelstellung.

"Stop it, Yzak! Right now, we need to stay back!" Dearka shouted, forced to be the voice of reason given Yzak's personality and Athrun's state. He jumped back at the Aegis's level, snapping his shaking commander back to reality. The three machines left reluctantly. They could not fight back against the Blast and Legged Ship with their current firepower. Seren returned to the Archangel and landed on the deck next to Kira. Both were breathing hard.

"We're leaving the combat area! Maximum propulsion!" Murrue ordered. The two Coordinators were staring at the islet they had just left with pained expression as Athrun's anguished scream echoed again in their heads. For Athrun, that Nicol seemed to be at least as important as Tolle was to them. But Kira had killed him.

As soon as Kira got down the Strike the mechanics surrounded him and complimented him on his job well done. He had got one at last! The boy sharply raised his hanging head as they petted him and clamped their hands on his shoulders.

"It was the Blitz, right?"

"Wow! You did great!"

"Really! You've been pretty good lately, kid! Oops, I mean, Ensign!" Murdoch wrapped an arm around his shoulders. There was really no stopping this kid. They were counting on him to keep this up. He kept quiet. Before he snapped, Seren took him away by the hand from the pushy mechanics and fiercely glared at them.

"We know this is your way of being sincere and friendly but could you please keep quiet? To us, your words only sound like 'Yeah, how great it is to kill others! Please rid us of more of your people! To get killing machines, you can only use another killing machine after all!'" The girl imitated with a sardonically cheerful tone. "If you really want to be considerate, you should leave us alone in times like this." She warned them calmly, though with a menacing edge. It was fine this way. Between them, Kira had always been the kind one and she had always been the nasty one. That was how it should be. And the boy was also grateful for her intervention.

"What's the big deal all of a sudden? They've been doing that all along." A machinist complained. Kira's eyes widened, and although nothing showed on Seren's face, they squeezed each other's hand more tightly. La Flaga arrived and told everyone to cut it out and excused the two as they must be exhausted. The pair stared blankly at the Lieutenant Commander and left without a word. He went after them while Murdoch told the other mechanics to go back to work.

"They didn't mean to upset you. We all consider you two as our comrades." The blonde man defended the staff a little timidly. The Coordinators walked faster.

"We know." Kira replied. La Flaga stopped them with a hand on their shoulders.

"Kira, Seren, we're soldiers. We're not murderers. We're fighting a war!" He firmly admonished and reminded them. "If one doesn't shoot, one gets shot. That goes for me, for you... for all of us!"

"We know!" The boy yelled.

"Then stop hesitating! You'll be losing your life!"

"The fact that it's war, that it's natural, and justified... doesn't change a single thing to what we're doing. No matter what excuse or name you give it, it really doesn't change anything. And if you say that, if we must shoot before we're shot, if they must shoot before they're shot... why don't we all just stop shooting, huh?" Seren snapped at last. "And had the situation been different, we could have been friends with the pilot of the Blitz, it could have been us wearing the ZAFT uniform. It could have been me. After all, my mother has been killed by Blue Cosmos. And who said I don't have family or friends in PLANTs?" _If I had hated all Naturals for what happened to my mother... If it had not been for Kira and Athrun... without them, right now, I might have been..._ "Just because we are enemies, because we must shoot each other... doesn't mean we don't feel a damn thing when we kill! Or worse, that we should be happy! We'll keep protecting you, our comrades, but we never wanted to become soldiers, so even if we understand, don't expect us to be as accepting as you in just a few weeks. I'm thankful you care about our feelings and I'm aware that most people wouldn't... but don't talk like you know everything about us." She spat venomously.

Inside the Cousteau's changing room, the atmosphere was heavy. Athrun and Dearka were silently putting on their uniforms while Yzak kept hitting his locker and cursing. He inadvertantly kicked Nicol's locker which opened. He froze, distraught, as he saw his fallen comrade's uniform. Even though he was the one who had belittled Nicol the most, notably for being too soft, right now he seemed to be the most affected by his loss.

"Yzak!" Dearka said warningly. He had to calm down, and not burn himself out now by venting on things.

"Why did he have to die?!" Joule asked his friend. For him who had always thrown himself into battle, Nicol's kindness and purity had always been there to remind him of the good in people, his people, his reason for fighting. And now he had died because of his very softness. "Why here?! Well?!" He turned to Athrun, glaring accusingly at him with tears at the corners of his blue eyes. Zala glared back at him, grabbed the front of his pilot suit and violently pinned him against his locker.

"If you want to say it, why don't you?! That it was my fault! That he died only because he was trying to save me!" The young commander snapped. Even he could not bear having the knife twisted in his wound to that extent. He didn't need anyone to tell him that. He was blaming himself enough as it was.

"Athrun!" Dearka yelled. With Nicol gone, he was the only one who could mediate between the two. Yzak grabbed Athrun's wrist but could not say anything. Athrun was at fault. But snapping like that was very unlike Athrun and told him enough of the guilt he was already feeling. "Yzak, you too knock it off! You two fighting here and now isn't going to help one bit!" Elsman forcefully separated the two. "The one we must defeat is the Strike! And the Blast!"

"I know that!" Yzak shot back. "Miguel was killed by that guy too! Not to mention my scar! And it was the Blast that killed Matthew and destroyed the Gamow! Next time I'll be sure to kill them!" And he ran away, followed by Dearka.

Left alone, Athrun closed his eyes, grief and misery etched onto his handsome features. When he opened his eyes again, they were full of tears. They fell on Nicol's uniform and he touched it. But when he did, a number of piano sheets fell and scattered on the ground. He gasped, remembering that time when the youngest Red Coat had thanked him for having come to his piano concert, told him his hopes and dreams of doing a more proper concert in the future and how he had teased him about sleeping during the performance. He remembered when Nicol had told him his reasons for fighting. The boy slammed his fist on the top part of the locker and, sobbing, clutched the uniform of his deceased friend against his chest.

"Damnit! I should have been killed! I was the one who was supposed to be killed!" But then Seren's voice when she had screamed his name like begging him to live echoed in his mind. And although some part of his heart was glad, he also resented her. It would have been so simpler were it not for her, for those feelings. If he had been killed as it should have been, Nicol wouldn't have had to die. "Nicol..." He recalled the Blitz – Nicol – lunging at the Strike, armed with a lancer dart... and the Strike – Kira – slicing the Blitz's cockpit. Seren had called Kira's name then. And his eyes turned hateful, in both self-loathing, and rage and rancor towards the one who had killed his most precious comrade... Kira... his most precious friend... "All because of my damn soft spot for not destroying him in the past..." He remembered the desperation on Kira's face when he had pleaded him to leave the Earth Alliance and return with him after he had handed Lacus over, and he remembered their childhood days on the moon... "It's my weakness that killed you!" He turned and slumped down on the ground. Even though Commander Le Creuset had warned him...

_"The Strike... unless you shoot it down, you could be its next victim..." _And about Seren too _"And the Blast... she's actually the one that dealt the most physical damage... but she's also the most naïve... She almost never goes for the kill, especially against the units we stole. Despite having her enemies at her mercy, she lets them escape. That weakness must be taken advantage of before she realizes the reality of war... or we will regret it from our graves..." _ The Commander was right. Showing mercy to the enemy was a sign of weakness. Because he was weak-hearted, he didn't kill Kira, and Kira killed Nicol. Maybe he should be glad that she wasn't the one who killed Nicol or he would be torn even more than he was now... between love and hate. Athrun gritted his teeth and looked at the piano sheets again and his decision took shape. But then he recalled Seren's words... _"Because it delivers a beautiful message: in order to achieve peace and happiness, we must lay down our weapons and forgive, without burdening our rememberance with a heaviness that's gone."_

_"But people can't do that. That's why this war continues."_

_"Athrun, earlier, you said that because people can't lay down their weapons, let go of their darkness and forgive, there is still war. But that doesn't mean we have to be the same. We don't have to follow their lead. I don't intend to remain an actor in the script someone else made forever. This script that says the Earth and PLANTs must keep fighting, that makes us keep fighting... what I want can be found neither in ZAFT nor in the EA. That is the wish for coexistence, that spirit that exists in Orb. I met people from all sides who made me believe it was possible, if only the war between Earth and the PLANTs could be stopped. I know it's still just a dream for now and even though I don't know how yet, I want to make it a reality even if I must spend all my lifetime on it. This is something one must decide for oneself but... I hope that when the time comes, you'll help me fulfill it."_

"Sorry, Seren, but I don't think what you've said is possible after all. This is just a pretty dream. Kira killed Nicol, and I am a ZAFT soldier, that is reality. That's why I will kill Kira! Next time for sure!" Athrun declared; his tearful eyes narrowed in a green glare full of determination, hate and vengefulness.

_"And after you kill me what will you do? Will you kill Kira too, and everyone I tried to protect? Or will you let Kira kill you?"_

He remembered her tear-filled eyes as their lips were this close to touching. If he had kissed her back then, if he had taken her back with him, even forcefully, then surely they wouldn't be in this situation now. Certainly, he should have done that. He remembered her expression when he had left her with Kira on the other side of that fence, and just how much she cared for Kira.

_And after I kill Kira, will you kill me? Will you try to? Will you still show me mercy and let me live? Will you force me to kill you too? Seren... if it's you... _

The moon was shining over the Archangel and the ocean. It was shift time. Natarle sat on the captain's seat so her superior could go rest. She asked if there had been any contact with Alaska but because of communication status, they hadn't been able to get through yet. The women sighed.

"If we maintain this pace, we should be crossing the Tropic of Cancer tomorrow evening. At that point, we should be able to contact them." Ramius infered. The vice-captain typed on the screen before her. As she pointed out, the Vosgulov-class was a high speed carrier. It would be good if they had lost sight of the ship after that previous battle. "It seems we're destined to cross paths with them. They're certainly persistent."

"But Commander La Flaga said something about them not being the Le Creuset Team."

"Eh? But that..."

"I cannot confirm if it's true. I just overheard him muttering something about it." Natarle confided in a low voice.

"Those guys are definitely the Le Creuset Team. But indeed, the chain of command seems to be different from how they were in space. Le Creuset himself is surely busy elsewhere, probably with that big operation ZAFT is planning. I heard about it in Orb. And in his absence, command appeared to have passed onto the pilot of the Aegis." Another female voice participated.

"Seren-kun! What are you doing here?!" Murrue asked, surprised. The Blast's pilot, its robotic pet perched on her head, apologised for the intrusion and requested to be shown the map of the route they were going to take. Badgiruel was a little reluctant at first but agreed. After all, she had acknowledged the teen's abilities – or at least potential – as a strategist. And her superior was also asking her. She looked at the map for a bit before stopping on a cluster of islands.

"I think ZAFT will attack us here." Seren declared with conviction. Of course her seniors were surprised and asked for the basis of her claim. "You said it yourself, they're persistent, and they will be even more so since Kira's killed one of them. I have no doubt they'll snif out our trail and catch up during the night. With so many small islands, it's the perfect place for an ambush, and we'll be there for sunrise, which is the perfect time for an attack. That said, I would advise against changing course. We've somehow managed to contain them all this time but now that the balance tipped, the next battle will be a do or die situation. I would love to avoid confrontation but since it's impossible I'd rather walk in fully prepared rather than run away and wreck my nerves waiting for them. I also suggest that you start thinking about what you'd do in worst case scenarios. Given our opponents' current frame of mind, I suppose we shall consider ourselves extremely lucky if we all make it out alive. Well, that's only my opinion. The choice will be yours." The girl excused herself and started leaving under the crew's stunned stares.

That brazenness and that insight... was it her genes? The fact that she was a Coordinator? A Ledford? Her nature and personality? Her pride as an ace pilot? She had spoken coolly. But actually, she was the one running away, she was fleeing forward, trying to end things. Though she seemed to have changed... She looked so weary and sad yet resolute, and there was this air of calm and grim acceptation about her, especially in her smiles. She was trying to fight destiny and didn't know yet if the sentiment born from that was hope or despair. She was marching forward, even in such circumstances, as always. Or so it seemed. But that was wrong. At Heliopolis, she had been thrown, no, those people had thrown her in a river of mud and blood. She had kept fighting. Now, she was desperately struggling to keep her head out even as she felt her strength fading. Slowly but surely, she was sinking. And still, she could not afford to show it. What good would it do? She was thinking of her father, of his warning, and of his offer she had turned down. Suddenly, the captain stopped her again.

"Wait, what have you learned about ZAFT's large-scale operation?"

"Just the rumors everyone knows about. ZAFT is amassing forces on Earth, and everyone believes the target is Panama." The teen answered. Chacha jumped down on her shoulder and she petted it.

"Really just that?"

"The rest is just conjectures on my part."

"And what are they?"

"I think they will target the Earth Alliance HQ at Alaska."

"What did you say?!"

"It is true that Panama is the last mass driver in the hands of the EA. And as such, it seems normal and evident that ZAFT will attack Panama, and certainly intel were received supporting that theory. But isn't one of the rules of war to outwit and/or overpower the enemy? What if that intelligence was false information leaked to comfort you in your assumptions? Because Panama is the most obvious choice, they'll go to Alaska where you don't expect them. At least, that's what I'd do. However, like I said, even though the probability is high I guess we still shouldn't underestimate the importance of Panama. In any case, when you'll be in Alaska, please be very careful." Seren left on these words.

"Ah, wai-" But Murrue could not stop her. She had a strange feeling. What was it? Seren-kun's last sentence... she had sounded like she wasn't going to be there with them in Alaska...

Flay was walking in the hallways, her head down. She looked unsually sad and pensive. Passing by the cafeteria, she heard Tolle's boastful voice. She raised her eyes and peaked in.

"Phew! I must say I was so scared at first! They shot a beam at me right after I took off! But I had done all that in simulation so I promptly pulled the stick!" He bragged, making his audience laugh, not only his friends from Heliopolis but also crew members. He was so much more accomodating than the two Coordinators.

"But I tell you, you were awesome. When did you become able to do such things?" Sai genuinely praised.

"Well, you trained on that simulation quite a lot." Miriallia noted; her chin on her palm. She sounded like a wife complaining about her hubby's habits.

"Sai too, you've done a lot of studying. And Milly, you've become really good at what you do, and so did you, Kuzzey." Tolle complimented his friends.

"Well yeah. We're no longer guests on this ship after all." Sai admitted. Kuzzey nodded.

"Yes, we certainly have gotten used to our tasks. But Tolle, you're overdoing it!" Milly scolded her boyfriend. He made a shocked and dejected expression. "I was really worried, you know, when I heard you were taking off." She added softly, sweetly, her face the very picture of concern. If she could, she'd ask him to stop piloting. Her feelings were obvious to everyone. She loved him so much. He had to stay safe.

"There's no need to worry! I'm only flying backup! You worry too much Milly!" He light-heartedly comforted her. She couldn't go against his decision. She knew of his kindness, his determination, and how much he cared for the two, Kira and Seren. She had known for a long time. A little after they had learned that those two were Coordinators, they had discussed it. Most of the time, Kira was a clumsy airhead and Seren... was simply hard to deal with. She often behaved like a problem child, too honest and good at putting others off with her attitude and yet switched to being an overprotective mom with Kira. She doted on children too. She just seemed to be no good with people, like she was afraid of them, which made her overly selective when choosing her friends and acquaintances. Well, basically, she was an emotionally imbalanced shut-in though she didn't look the part. They really didn't fit with the terrifying image Coordinators were rumored to have. They were really good people, that was why Tolle had decided that they could always rely on him, even during the hardest times. Milly had teased him. So he had decided to become their guardian angel? But that wasn't exactly what he had meant...

Flay walked away. She had not talked to Kira since their fight in Orb when the families had come. And of course she had not talked to Seren either. But she had seen her walking in the hallways, so glum yet so determined, stern, forbidding, especially since she had returned from the latest battle while Kira was being disconsolate. But Milly's words had reminded her of Seren's words... _"Well, of course, when you truly like someone, you don't want them to stain their hands with blood; you don't want them to suffer and to risk death." _ Even though Milly and Flay could both be considered companions of pilots, Flay had always urged Kira into battle, making him suffer and riks his life, while Miriallia, although regretting her lover's decision to fight, and constantly fearing for his life, was nonetheless there. The gap between their feelings and quality as humans and companions was made painfully clear.

_Kira... _

Kira was in the hangar, staring at the Strike. The Strike he was piloting and with which he had sliced the Blitz, causing the explosion in which Athrun's precious comrade had died. He could still hear Athrun screaming his friend's name, and the heart-rending grief in his voice as it resounded in his mind. The boy hung his. Torii twittered comfortingly and rubbed his head against his cheek. Kira smiled weakly. He recalled that time on the moon when Athrun had given him that robotic bird, and again that day in Orb just a few days ago when Athrun had handed it back to him from the other side of the fence.

_Athrun... _

Then he recalled Waltfeld's words... _"We have no choice but to fight! As long as we're enemies! Until one of us is destroyed!"_

_Enemy?... am I your enemy? _Kira wondered as Torii flew away. He clenched his fists and hung his head. _That's right, isn't it, Athrun? _

The Cousteau's sensors detected the presence of the Legged Ship. The commander and the Red Coats came to look at the map. This area had many small islands and the sun would be rising soon. It was the ideal time to stage an attack.

"You're going down today, Strike!" Yzak said hatefully.

"I'll be sure to avenge Nicol's death and that scar of yours, Yzak!" Dearka vowed.

"We're taking off!" Athrun ordered.

Inside the Archangel, Seren was walking dressed in her pilot suit. Chacha was nestled in her clothes. And as she was walking towards the hangar, memories flooded her mind. Memories of Athrun, their time on the moon, their goodbyes, their promise, their reunion in Heliopolis, on the battlefields, on that island where they almost gave into their feelings, and in Orb... and then, when Kira had killed that Nicol. She remembered Athrun's scream then. She knew his loyalty, his integrity, his compassion, his affection, his wishes, his doubts, his bitterness, and now his animosity and murderous intent. And Kira... better than anyone, better than himself, she understood his pain, his hopes, his kindness, his guilty conscience, his purity, his desperation, his fears, his strengths, his weaknesses... She remembered Andrew Waltfeld's words. As long as they were mobile suits pilots, will they have to be enemies? As long as they were enemies, will they have no choice but to shoot until one of them was destroyed?

_"And after you kill me what will you do? Will you kill Kira too, and everyone I tried to protect? Or will you let Kira kill you?" "If I fight for survival, I may kill one of your friends, because if I don't kill them, they will kill me, or one of my friends could be killed by them. And if I kill them, you'll try to kill me." _

_"... Or you may not kill them, and still manage to protect..."_

It seemed after all his wishes could not be granted. It was not her, but Kira who killed. He had killed to save himself. Now Athrun resented him, hated him, and was truly going to do his all to kill him. Could she protect Kira? Could she protect Athrun? Could she protect Tolle, La Flaga-shousa, and the Archangel? The pilots of the Duel and Buster too were certainly going to return like different people. Would she have no choice but to kill them? If Kira killed Athrun, or if Athrun killed Kira, or if Tolle or La Flaga was killed, what would she do?

_"Because it delivers a beautiful message: in order to achieve peace and happiness, we must lay down our weapons and forgive, without burdening our rememberance with a heaviness that's gone."_

_"But people can't do that. That's why this war continues."_

_"But that doesn't mean we have to be the same. We don't have to follow their lead. I don't intend to remain an actor in the script someone else made forever. This script that says the Earth and PLANTs must keep fighting, that makes us keep fighting... what I want can be found neither in ZAFT nor in the EA. That is the wish for coexistence, that spirit that exists in Orb. I met people from all sides who made me believe it was possible, if only the war between Earth and the PLANTs could be stopped. I know it's still just a dream for now and even though I don't know how yet, I want to make it a reality even if I must spend all my lifetime on it."_

It looked like fate had found a twisted way to test her resolve. She had certainly barked a lot until now. She had suffered, and believing that amount of pain made her wise and strong, she had said a lot of things. But she didn't know the true horror of war. Only now, after coming this far was she starting to have a glimpse at it. No matter how strong or smart you were, they were things you couldn't protect. Was she all talk? Or did she truly have what it took to walk that path? She didn't know. She was unable to predict the outcome. Now all she could do was to fight and do her best to protect, and then, after that battle, she would surely have part of her answers, whatever they were... The moment of truth was approaching. Could she overcome it? Could they overcome it?

The sun was rising. Flay passed a corner. On her left, she could see the wide space of the hangar from the second 'floor'. She walked to the causeway and looked down. She saw Kira sitting in front of the Strike, his knees against his chest, his head downcast. And then she saw Seren entering the hangar and walking to the Blast before she spotted Kira. She went to him.

"Kira, you should get ready too and prepare yourself. ZAFT will attack soon, and this time, more than ever, with the intent to kill us, to kill you... and that guy most of them all..." Seren advised softly. The boy looked at her and nodded. Just a glimpse at his expression, at his eyes told her everything that was in his heart. But she couldn't do anything about it. She looked away. She knew he wanted to be reassured. But she couldn't lie and irresponsibly say 'it'll be alright' like people would normally say in such circumstances. She didn't believe it herself. She walked to the Blast.

"Maintain trim! Twenty to the ocean's surface! Anti-air defense stand-by! Emit control, online!" The reports flew in the ZAFT submarine.

"Sound alarm!"

"We've reached the surface!" And indeed, the carrier surfaced, and just as it did, it was picked up by the Archangel's radar and identified by its operator. The Aegis, Buster and Duel launched into the air, followed by their Guuls. The alert rang in the Archangel. All hands were ordered to level one battle stations. Kira ran out of the hangar, Mu, Sai, Tolle and Milly woke up and dressed. Kira ran past Flay without seeing her but then she called him. She stammered his name a few times. She looked and sounded so apologetic, so hesistant, so remorseful... sincere... but the memory of her face when she had yelled at him that day when his parents had come to see him and he had turned them down, the sheer loathing, wrath and resentment she felt for him etched onto her features, her mocking and contemptuous words, the bitter poison in her voice... all those were too vivid for him to bear to see her now and talk to her after all that happened. That day, she had made her true feelings clear enough.

"Sorry, later." He averted his eyes with a sad expression. "When I return..." And he dashed to the changing room. Flay called him but he didn't listen and kept running.

"Three silhouettes approaching us from five o'clock! Distance 3000!"

"Heat source approaching from the same direction!" Sai reported.

"Evade! To port!" Captain Ramius yelled. The Buster's high impulse beam split the water.

"Load Wombat into stern missile tubes! Activate Valiants, Igelstellung!" Badgiruel ordered. The weapons deployed. "Are Commander La Flaga, Ensign Yamato and Ensign Ledford ready for take-off?" She asked. The first skygrasper was being loaded onto the catapult, and inside, Mu was cursing. He should have known it wouldn't be smooth sailing the rest of the way! Kira and Seren proceeded to the rear deck. The mobile armor pilot asked them if they were alright. They answered by the affirmative. The Strike had been equipped with the Aile pack and the Blast with the Storm Blast Off pack. The Skygrasper launched. The Earth Forces's MS detected an object and zoomed. It was the Aegis. Their eyes narrowed ever so slightly. In the sky, dark clouds were gathering.

Yzak roared hatefully and fired. The Aegis and Buster fired too. On Natarle's command, the Valiant cannons and Wombat missiles were fired. They were all detonated though while the ZAFT units often hit. But the energy was dispersed across the hull by the laminated armor. Kira shot from the deck without much success. Seren took off. Right now, the most powerful weapons were the Buster's. Her Svalinn Shield blocked his beams and absorbed their energy. Her shield's capacity had been upgraded during her stay at Orb. She shot back but her prey was taken over by Lieutenant Commander La Flaga whose Skygrasper had been equipped with the Strike's Launcher pack. Dearka dodged and retaliated but missed too. The Blast went after the Duel that had come a little too close and that was forced to back off under the Blast's Vulcan guns and when its beams dangerously grazed it. Athrun shouted and fired. Kira defended and tried to go after him when Yzak, lured and fueled by his hatred for the Strike and its pilot forsook the Blast and attacked him instead. Seren turned to Athrun, skillfully preventing him from approaching Kira or the Archangel. The ship fired Helldarts missiles that were detonated by Dearka's shotgun.

"That's useless against me!" He yelled. La Flaga saw an opening and shot the Agni cannon but the ZAFT pilot evaded. "Get real!" He launched a dozen missiles after the Skygrasper. La Flaga cursed. And upon noticing that her ally was going to get bombed, Seren flew over and fired all her weapons, intercepting the missiles. Mu thanked her. However, her intervention had got her the Buster's attention. And while she was occuped by the Buster, the Aegis destroyed the Igelstellung 4 and 5 of the Archangel as well as the Helldarts launching pod.

Staggering inside the shaking ship, Flay returned to her room and threw herself on the bed. She covered her ears with her hands before hiding under her pillow. She whispered Kira's name. She had returned to how was she was before, before her father's death and her relationship with Kira. And she was the opposite of how she had been during that first battle on Earth, in that desert, when she would confidently lay down and laugh, knowing that Kira would protect her. Her influence on his had faded. Also, in war, there wasn't any guarantee, Seren had taught her that. And from her expression back then in the hangar, it was also clear that she didn't believe everyone would return alive... and she was scared...

The storm clouds completely obscured the sun. Sai and Chandra reported the damage to the ship, the destruction of Igelstellung 4 and 5 and the sealing of the bulkheads to Helldarts launch tubes. Murrue asked if there had been any contact from Alaska but Kuzzey fearfully answered that there hadn't been a word yet.

"Aim Gottfrieds! Make sure you hit! Fire!" Natarle yelled. But Athrun dodged the Gottfrieds. On the Archangel's stern deck, the Strike tried to shoot down the Duel, to no avail.

"I won't forgive you!" Yzak shouted. Kira grabbed his beam saber and took off. Both blades were blocked by shields. Sparks flew. The Aegis left its Guul and swooped down the Legged Ship. Tonomura reported the red unit coming at them directly from above... and that the Blast was on an interception course. Knowing the beams of his rifle would just be absorbed by the Svalinn Shield, he transformed his MS into a MA and fired his powerful "Scylla" 580mm multi-phase energy cannon. Knowing it had enough power to tear through the entire width of an Earth Alliance battle ship, Seren would have no choice but to dodge if she didn't want to be killed. He didn't want to kill her, but he had to sink that ship! The Archangel veered starboard. But against all expectations, Seren didn't avoid the beam but instead decided to meet it.

"Seren!" The boy screamed in both extreme fear for her life and anger that she would block his way again and put herself in such danger. But she had oriented her shield in an angle. Part of the energy was absorbed and the angle and special coating helped deflect the weakened beam. But the power was still too much. The shot destroyed the Valiant that exploded as well as part of her shield and arm and sparks flew in her cockpit. But if not for her, the Archangel would have probably been pierced through. Miriallia reported the Blast's damage. Still, the ship's plasma tumbler had been damaged, the levitator was down! It was impossible to maintain lift! The Aegis turned back into a MS and landed on the Guul. The captain ordered to give priority to stabilization.

"Use emergency power! Connect backup levitator!" Natarle instructed.

"I'm going out with the Skygrasper!" Tolle suddenly declared, standing up and shocking everyone. Astounded and frightful, Milly said his name. "We're in real danger at this rate!" And without waiting for an answer, he dashed out of the bridge. Ramius tried to stop him but she was interrupted when the ship shook. The Strike landed on the deck. Behind him, the tower had been hit and was smoking. Kira cursed and took off after the Duel. Seren had engaged Athrun in heated close combat. She sliced part of the red unit's shoulder. The Strike attemped to shoot the Duel's legs but it leaped, avoiding the beam, and kicked down the EA machine. Kira recovered and fired again but only got the extremity of the Guul. The Blast had come over though, and the Lanze blew the X102's right foot and Guul. Yzak swore but kept firing his Shiva railgun. However, during that time, Mu had been left alone to deal with the Buster, and his Skygrasper had been damaged. He was forced to return. Knowing the Archangel would be defenceless, Seren drew back to protect it, and in the same moment, Athrun had come to Yzak's rescue and shot down Kira's rifle.

"Kira!" Zala shouted with hate and resentment. The Strike dodged his beam but the Aegis leapt, and the Guul continued. Athrun shot his own sublifter right before his enemy. The girl cornered the Buster closer to the Aegis and Strike and while Athrun was preoccupied with with Kira, she shot his rifle.

"Be careful out there!" Murdoch warned Koenig.

"I'll be alright!" Tolled reassured everyone before launching. Lightning flashed in the sky. A strong wind had picked up, and rain started pouring down. The Strike crashed into an island. Athrun howled and slashed. Kira blocked. They disengaged. The EA pilot took out his own beam saber, evaded his old friend's slash and attacked from behind. The Aegis jumped up and flipped and swooped down on its enemy, firing its Igelstellung. The Strike shielded itself. Athrun activated the sabers on his feet and struck. The violence was their battle was reaching at unprecedented level.

In an orphanage nearby, the children fearfully clung to their caretaker, Reverend Malchio, as they watched the raging elements.

Tolle tried to help Seren but she told him to return the ship and trust her and Kira, and that they would be alright. Right now, she couldn't care less if she had to lie. Anything was fine as long as Tolle was safe. He had always supported them, more, and more sincerely than anyone. She couldn't let him die because of them. But it was him. He didn't listen and headed to Kira's direction. Inside the Archangel, the maintenance staff was struggling to put out the flames as fast as possible. The ship was gradually and inevitably sinking. Unable to stabilize, it did an emergency landing on the same island Kira and Athrun were fighting on. Seeing his chance, Dearka grew careless. However, Seren did not miss that opening and destroyed his Guul. He cursed and shot the Blast with his shotgun, hitting its Vulcan gun. Seren discarded the add-on but the explosion still got her unit's shoulder. Her leg and flank had been grazed too however, her beam had destroyed the Buster's weapon and arm. The ZAFT MS crashed onto the mountain side.

"Hydro gone! Driving pulse falling! Damn!" But he had no time to curse. He looked up and the Blast was diving down to impale him. He looked sideways and the Legged ship was ready to shoot him down with its Gottfried. He gritted his teeth, opened his cockpit and came out, hands raised. The Blast's sword thrust into the ground next to the Buster's cockpit while it landed on the other side. Seren contacted the Archangel and confirmed that she could leave the X103 and its pilot in their care and that she was free to go help Kira and Tolle. She looked in the direction her friends had gone and took off.

"Kira!" Athrun bellowed hatefully as he clashed with his most precious childhood friend and bitterest enemy on the opposite side of the mountain. Kira roared too. Sparks flew between them. "How dare you kill Nicol?! You killed Nicol!" He fired his Scylla cannon in MA mode but the Strike dodged.

"Kira!" Tolle yelled as he came to save his friend. Kira was not alone. He had him!

"Tolle?! No! Don't! Stay back!" Kira shouted warningly, pleadingly. The Skygrasper launched a missile but it only hit the ground as the Aegis leapt. Athrun hurled his shield to the fighting plane. Unable to react in time, Tolle watched helplessly, with horror and dread, the projectile speeding towards him. His last thoughts were for his beloved Miriallia as the shield collided with the Skygrasper and embedded itself. And Kira watched with the same stupefaction, the same devastation, as his cherished friend, as the Skygrasper went up in flames. "Tolle!" He screamed in agony. In the Archangel's CIC, Milly lost the signal of her lover's aircraft but she could barely register what it meant, think of the unthinkable, the unacceptable... despite the dread she was feeling.

From a distance, Seren saw the dissipation of an explosion and a terrible and ominous feeling took hold of her. She searched and found the Strike and the Aegis facing each other. Driven over the edge by despair, the seed exploded in Kira's mind. They lunged.

"Athrun!" He howled spitefully, tears flowing down his eyes. He deflected the red unit's blow and sliced its left arm at the shoulder. He jumped for more momentum and kicked down the Aegis in the head. Athrun gritted his teeth and recovered on the ground.

"I will... destroy you!" And his vengeful heart also driving him over the edge, the seed exploded in his mind too. He activated the beam blades of his remaining limbs and attacked. They clashed viciously. Filled to the brim with the sorrow of having lost their most important comrade at the hands of their most cherished friend, the remorse of having been unable to save them and their friendship, they completely abandoned themselves to their hate and thirst for revenge. Simply, desperately trying to erase this pain, this bitterness, forsaking all defence and sense of self-preservation, their eyes and hearts blazing with an all-consumming fire, they put all of their raging feelings, all they had become into their slashes to erase the one who had caused them all this pain and bitterness. Under the pouring rain, through the lightning, their blades flashed, sparks flared. Athrun severed the Strike's left arm. Kira beheaded the Aegis.

"Athrun!"

"Kira!" They shouted with the same grief, the same rancor and hatred dripping from their voices. The red machine turned into a mobile armor and caught the Strike in its clutches. Athrun tried to fire its Scylla multi-phase cannon at point blank range but he was out of power. The Aegis turned gray.

"Stoooooop!" The girl screamed, tears streaming down her eyes. But her voice could no longer reach Athrun. Left with no other choice, he activated the self-destruct system, opened his cockpit and escaped with his propeller. Kira and Seren gasped as they looked at his retreating form with horror. They had guessed what was going to happen.

"No, Seren! Don't come!" Kira yelled desperately. But she didn't listen. She closed in, reached out... but it was already too late. The Aegis exploded. The blast blew her right into a cliff and destroyed part of the mountain. The shockwave reached Athrun who lost control of his flight. And all that could be seen from the Archangel was a pillar of burning incandescent smoke rising to the sky.

* * *

We fight because we want to protect. We kill because we fight. Grief, hate, and revenge cycle round and round. In this storm of regrets, wrath and blades flash like lightning, and from the sky fall the tears of our hearts. In this storm, we lost what we wanted to protect more than anything, and in losing that, we lost sight of ourselves. Will the sky be blue again? And what kind of scenery will the sun illuminate then?


	29. Grieving skies

**Phase-29: Grieving skies**

Soon after losing contact with the second Skygrasper, Miriallia lost both the Strike's and the Blast's signal in the same time. A second later, the ship was rocked by the shockwave of an explosion.

"Kira! Seren! Tolle! Can you hear me?! Please respond! Kira! Seren! Tolle! Kira!" She yelled in her mike. A heavy and ominous silence had settled in the bridge. All the seasoned soldiers had already guessed. La Flaga asked what the explosion had been. He was talking from the hangar.

"I don't know what the explosion was. However, the fact is... that communication has been severed with the Strike, the Blast, and Skygrasper 002." The captain answered almost fearfully. Her fellow Lieutenant Commander gasped slightly. Haw-nittohei was still desperately trying to reach Tolle, Kira and Seren but to no avail. Badgiruel pressed a button on Milly's panel, ending the communication attempts.

"That's enough." She told her callously. "Captain, what are the damages to the ship? There's no sense fooling ourselves and waiting for things to get better!"

"Chief Murdoch?"

"The damage isn't too serious! Once we're done with the Force Blanket repairs, we should be able to fly!" He informed her. Meanwhile, Dearka, often wincing, his hands tied behind his back, was being held at gun point and led inside the ship. The Buster was also being recovered, to some crewmembers' surprise. Well, it was theirs to begin with, and better take it back now than leaving it only to have it picked up by ZAFT again and used against them. Suddenly, Kuzzey got a reaction from his machine. Something had been detected at 6 o'clock. Three of them. Tonomura identified them as DINNs. They would be here in 15 minutes!

"Prepare to intercept!" Murrue ordered.

"That's impossible! Our firepower has practically been reduced to nothing! At this rate we won't last ten minutes against those DINNs! We must leave now!" Natarle argued.

"Kira! Kira! Seren! Can you hear me?! Please respond! DINNs are-" Milly tried again but once more, the vice-captain stopped the communication.

"Will you cut it out already? Ensign Yamato, Ensign Ledford and Crewman Koenig are all MIA! You understand, right?" The Lieutenant JG insisted firmly. The girl gasped as she remembered the meaning of those words and when they had first been used. Missing In Action, presumably dead but not confirmed, like when Seren had disappeared in the middle of the Indian Ocean after she had gone to help Cagalli-san and La Flaga-shousa...

"No way..."

"Accept it. Unless you get over it, you'll be the next one killed." Badgiruel said a little more sympathically. The DINNs' approach was reported. Eleven minutes until contact. But Miriallia still refused to accept it and ran away. The ship took off. Ramius asked for the last confirmed location of the Strike, Blast, ans Skygrasper 002, obviously intending to go fetch them herself. "We cannot go there in our current condition!" Natarle reminded her. The captain asked La Flaga about the status of Skygrasper 001, if at least they could confirm situation over there... but it could not go out. "Captain! They'll sink us unless we leave this area!"

"But if by chance Kira, Seren and Tolle had successfully escaped..." Sai suggested. The Lieutenant JG narrowed her eyes. She had also thought of the possibility and although she deeply regretted it, they could not afford to stay. But she said nothing.

"Anything from Alaska Headquarters?" Murrue questioned. But there was still no response.

"Captain! Are you telling all crewmembers to die?!" Natarle yelled urgently. The captain wavered and then steeled herself.

"Continue to try to reach them. And send out the coordinates of this island and a rescue signal to Orb." She ordered, shocking her subordinates. "We're asking them to save lives! And Seren is among the missing! Orb will accept!" She justified herself. Natarle protested, emitting her doubts about that country. "I'll take all responsibility!" Ramius bellowed, sick and tired of her second's quibbling when the lives of those children were at stake. "Boost engines to maximum! Our priority is to leave that area!"

Miriallia was staggering in the hallways of the rocking ship, repeating that it was impossible, again and again, whispering Tolle's name, just like Flay was whispering Kira's name. Sai was thinking about Seren, his precious friend who had so sincerely comforted him a number of times. In the hangar, Mu was acknowledging the captain's decision to leave the region. He soon saw Miriallia, tears in her cerulean blue eyes, as she ran to the skygrasper simulator and looked inside. It was empty. He ran to her. She asked about Tolle. Where was he? That he was MIA... it couldn't be... it couldn't be true... so... so...! She sank on her knees, weeping. La Flaga was going to touch her, to comfort her... before curling his hand into a fist.

"DAMN IT!" He shouted in rage and frustration and punched the simulator. Even though he was the one and only adult, veteran pilot, and soldier by choice, that he couldn't do anything for those children...

In Orb, Kisaka joined Cagalli who was looking through files, dressed in her army supreme commander uniform. He looked and sounded so foreboding as he communicated to her the information he had received from Rayner. Soon a large rescue seaplane departed with Cagalli, Rayner, Kisaka, and a search party.

While below the sea, in the Cousteau, Yzak, who had been resting after being treated, arrived in the control room and questioned the captain about Athrun and Dearka since he had noticed the Legged Ship moving. What was the situation?! The captain told him they were both missing, and that they had been ordered to return by Commander Le Creuset.

"Missing? What do you mean missing?!" The boy snapped. However, the captain did not have any details. First, they had lost communication with the Buster. Then, following confirmation of a major explosion, they had lost contact with the Aegis too. "What about emergency signals?!" But there had been nothing from either. "What about the Strike, the Blast, and the Legged Ship?!" He snarled, and was informed that the pursuit of the Legged Ship had been left to the Bozman Team. "That's nuts! Return at once! There's no way that those two would be defeated so easily! They're not wearing this Red Coat for nothing, you know!"

"In that case, you should be able to make coolheaded decisions based on the situation." The officer calmly but firmly admonished the hot-blooded youth who recoiled, stung at having been so clearly shown his improper behavior and thus reminded of his status and responsibilities. "We have been ordered to return. A separate unit has been dispatched to search the area."

"But-!"

"We also have word that Orb is on the move in the area. Do you understand what I'm getting at?" The captain added. Yzak lowered his head. There was nothing he could say.

The Orb seaplane landed near the small beach where the explosion had taken place. The party was searching through the wreckage. Cagalli was appalled. They understood that the red unit had self-destructed as it was in pieces. The Strike and Blast were still about whole. The Strike's feet were in the water. She approached and touched the Aile's engine.

_It couldn't have been... that guy...? _She thought of the boy with midnight blue hair she had seen with Kira and Seren that day in Orb, the one on the other side of the fence. Against Kisaka's advice, she climbed up the machine and looked into the cockpit. She looked with horror at the melted fabric of the seat. He was not here! It was an empty shell! Maybe he had escaped! Rayner called her. They had found the Blast and finished cutting through the metal of the cockit that they couldn't open otherwise. Seren was alive! Wounded but alive! They delicately pulled her out and removed her helmet. She woke up. Her head was bleeding and small shards were embedded in her arms and torso more or less deeply. Her back hurt like hell, she had trouble breathing, and she could barely feel her legs as they had been encased in the metal. Her cousin supported her. She recognized him, and Cagalli who had come running to them. And then, the fog lifted from her muddled mind...

"Kira! Where's Kira?! And Tolle?! And what about Ath-" But before Seren could finish, they were called to another beach. Cagalli rushed. Seren broke free from Rayner and ran too, tripped, fell, and dashed again. It was not Kira, but Athrun's unconscious form. Seren sank on her knees and reached out with a trembling hand.

The sun was setting when Athrun woke up in a room on the seaplane. He saw that his left arm had been bandaged and was held in a sling. There was an intravenous drip hanging on the wall next to him. He struggled to sit up despite the pain shooting through him. He had his light green turtle-neck t-shirt he usually wore below his red uniform or pilot suit.

"I see you're awake." A female voice remarked drily, almost bitingly next to him. He turned his head and was surprised to see Seren sitting on a chair before a desk. Chacha was perched on her head. Her right arm was resting on the top of the back of the chair. She had been lent clothes.

"Seren... so you were alive..." He said softly. She was alive... but in what state... her arms and hands were bandaged, he could also see white strips on her shoulders that the collar of her t-shirt did not cover, she also had bandages on her head and from the way she was carrying herself her body and legs had also been wounded. Back then, even though he had heard her, even though he had seen her, he had not been able to stop. When he had ejected, she should have understood, she should have stayed away. There was nothing she could have done. That was what he had thought – hoped – she would do. He had not wanted to involve her, even if that was pure hypocrisy.

"Yeah, sorry to disappoint you."

"That's harsh..." He smiled sadly, gracefully accepting the caustic barb. It was only natural for her to react that way after what he had done...

"I don't want to hear that from you."

"I guess... you don't..." He looked down. Seren sighed and put Chacha on the table. Certainly, she had known that the Aegis was going to self-destruct and that there was nothing she could do. She was aware she should have prioritized her safety for the sake of the Archangel and her friends onboard. If Kira could not be saved, then they could only rely on her. But nonetheless, she had still gone. She had almost died, and now the Blast was totally out of commission. Just a little fix or two wouldn't cut it this time. But Kira and Athrun were THAT important to her... so for Athrun to kill Kira... She gritted her teeth and aimed a gun at him.

"You're currently in an Orb seaplane. The Archangel contacted them and they came to rescue us. They took me out of the Blast that has become inoperational because of the explosion, and they found you lying on the beach. During the battle, I captured the Buster which must now be in the Archangel along with its pilot."

"Orb? What does the neutral Orb wants with me? Or since they agreed to help an Earth Alliance warship, and they're helping you, an Earth Alliance pilot threatening me, are they now with the Earth Forces? Is the gun loaded this time?" The boy's smile turned bitter and cynical as he looked at her. Seren took off the magazine and showed him the bullets before putting the magazine back in the gun. Athrun removed his IV drip. If he was to be killed, what was the point of that thing?

"Orb only agreed to help to save lives, and also a bit because I, a Ledford, was here. My family has the safety of their members as priority after all. We get to be alone like this because someone trustworthy here knows of our connection. And I've asked them not to contact the Archangel yet. They don't even know that I'm alive. What I'll do from now on, what will be reported... depends on you. Now tell me. What happened to the Skygrasper... the fighting plane that should have come to Kira's help?!"

"...I destroyed it."

"What happened to its pilot?!" The girl insisted. She had started trembling, doing her best to keep herself under control.

"He died in the explosion of his plane."

"What about Kira?!" She asked again, feeling her heart breaking more and more with each question, and each answer... Athrun's eyes widened before narrowing. "I didn't see him escape... but the cockpit was open and there was no trace of him, and the inside was completely burnt... They can't find him!" Seren was losing her nerve, she was panicking, and tears were welling up in her eyes. Maybe she had missed something! She was desperately hanging onto a thread and watching it giving way under her very eyes.

"You've seen it, right? You were there." The young man hung his head. "I... killed him. I... killed him." He repeated. Seren's eyes widened. She was feeling herself going numb, sinking down in the abyss. No! She had to keep it together! She struggled, doing all she could to keep a semblance of reason and stability in her crumbling world. The man she loved the most had killed the other man she loved most. Although the love she felt for them was different and could not be compared, she still loved them both more than anything... Athrun had killed Kira... and he had also killed Tolle... she loved him... but how could she forgive him?! "I grabbed onto the Strike with my Aegis, and then self-detonated. I can't imagine he could've escaped." He reported, sounding incredibly exhausted. The girl snapped and grabbed his collar, her knees on the bed, menacing him with her gun. "That was the only choice I had left... to defeat him." He justified himself. His voice was quivering. He looked at her with an incredibly sorrowful gaze and tears fell from his green eyes. That was too much for Seren whose tears overflowed too... tears of sadness and anger...

"You bastard!" She yelled hatefully, furiously, pinning him down. He uttered a pained sound. But what her expression showed was pure agony. "Damnit!" She cursed, and tightly shut her eyes as if hoping this was just a nightmare. But she knew it was not. Her tears fell on the cheeks of the boy who averted his head.

"Eh? Seren and that guy are childhood friends?!" Cagalli exclaimed in the hallway.

"Yes, and so is Kira. Those three became very close on the moon." Rayner answered.

"Then this is bad! We should-" Cagalli was going to dart away but Rayner caught her wrist and pulled her against him, immobilizing her.

"You can't. No, you must not. I know that you care a lot about them. You want to help them, and you can't leave them alone, but this is something they must solve by themselves. We are outsiders. We shouldn't risk making things worse by clumsily interfering."

"But-"

"Those three have a special bond. Trust them. Trust my adorable cousin. It'll be just fine to leave those guys, well, things to her." The young man reassured her gently, kindly, petting her head before embracing her comfortingly. And Cagalli truly felt heartened again.

"But why am I still alive?" Athrun wondered. "Maybe because I ejected back then." He heard the click of the safety being removed and turned his head to see her amber eyes full of hate and rage, so much that she could kill him, silently accuse him and ask the same question, 'even though you killed Kira and Tolle, how dare you be still alive?!', and he felt the cold tip of the gun trembling against his chest. She was obviously struggling about whether to kill or not. He smiled in sadness, irony, and almost relief. "Maybe so you could kill me..."

Tolle... who had been the first and most vehement in protecting Kira and her when they had first board the Archangel and her crew had learned about them being Coordinators, how he had always supported them, defended them, how he had decided to fight on the bridge for them, how he had decided to pilot a Skygrasper for them so he could protect them even out there... And Kira... all the times he cried, all the times he agonized over killing his own people, over fighting his precious friend... only to be killed by him! That guy had killed them, he had killed them both! He killed them... Feeling like her heart was literally being split, quartered, torn apart... she fired one, two, three, four, five rounds... in the mattress.

"Why...? I told you, didn't I? I told you why we didn't have a choice but to fight... Kira, he hadn't changed at all since back then... he was an airhead who lived recklessly, who never knew what he was doing, who always cried and cried, and who was impossibly kind... so why... why did you have to kill him... why did he have to be killed by you, his best friend, of all people?!"

"I don't know. I have no idea why either! It's your fault too, Seren! We were separated... and the next time I saw you guys, we were enemies!"

"Enemies?"

"I told you a number of times to come with me! You guys are Coordinators too, you're one of us, and so was he! You were wrong to side with the Earth Forces! You should have been able to pull strings so you guys would withdraw! But you didn't! You wouldn't listen! It's your fault! You fought us, you hurt my friends! And he killed Nicol! Nicol was only 15, he loved the piano, and just wanted to protect the PLANTS!"

"That's why you killed Kira? You...?"

"He was an enemy! He was no longer on my side! I had no choice but to kill him, did I?!"

"Then kill me too!" Seren cried, putting her gun in Athrun's good hand. "If you say that he was your enemy then so I am! There's still one bullet left. Go ahead, shoot! Kill me! Since I am your enemy! Shoot, since that's what you said you'd do, since that's what you must do!" She challenged him, clamping his hand on the firearm so he couldn't let go, and the muzzle against her chest, tears of anger and exasperation flowing down from her amber eyes. The boy suddenly froze, his eyes wide, as he stared at her unflinching golden gaze, and then at the gun in his hand, pointed at Seren's heart. His finger was on the trigger, but he could not move. He still could not shoot. He could not kill her. Soon, he started shaking. The gun was appearing more and more like something abominable and horrifying. He tightly shut his eyes in frustration and put the safety back in place.

"Stop, Seren! Stop doing that to me! Stop cornering me!" Athrun managed to yank the weapon away and throw it, weeping twice as hard. He had already lost Kira, and doubted he could bear to lose her too.

"I'm cornering you?! You fool! Kira never wanted to shoot you or kill your friend! Why did you come to that conclusion?! Why did **_you_** have to corner **_him_** like this?! Your friend, trying to protect you, was going to kill him, so Kira killed him first, Tolle too, a civilian thrown into this war just because he had seen something he shouldn't, he loved his girlfriend and he was just trying to protect us, Coordinators, despite being a Natural! He was just trying to protect Kira so you killed him too! Kira and I... also had things to protect... so why did he have to be killed, and at your hands of all people, the one he's always considered as his most precious friend! One kills because someone is killed, and then gets killed because he had killed... Just when is that going to end?! ...Just how is that going to bring us closer to peace?! Or is peace the total annihilation of every single Natural or Coordinator or both?!" And too weak to keep going, Seren slumped down on the young man, first her forehead on his chest, then lying down, half on him, half on the bed. She cried on his chest and Athrun tightly hugged her with his able arm, clutching her t-shirt like she was clutching his. They both cried, and cried, holding onto each other for dear life, because they were the only one the other had left. Their loss was the same, and the other was the only one who could understand it.

The wrecked Strike and Blast were loaded onto the seaplane, but nothing could be done about the Aegis that had exploded into thousands of pieces.

Night passed. In the Archangel, Miriallia was sitting on her bed, in the darkness, looking up with tears in her eyes. Flay too was in the darkness, sitting at a desk in Kira's room, her head buried in her arms. Torii landed next to her and twittered worriedly. She raised her anxious face towards the robotic bird.

The next day, the interceptor squadron that had escorted the Archangel to Alaska finally left the ship. The captain ordered to send a message thanking them. Then Kuzzey reported that someone was trying to ID this ship. Well, it was their first time to Alaska after all. Ramius told him to send their data. There shouldn't be a problem. Still, everyone was truly reassured. They had been saved by a hair's breadth. If the interceptor squadron hadn't arrived when they did and driven the DINNs away, this ship wouldn't have made it. Sai was surprised the DINNs had so easily backed off though. Chandra answered that no one in their right mind would consider entering and attempting a battle in Alaska's air defense space with only three DINNs. Sai wondered if Alaska was really that powerful. Lieutenant Badgiruel sharply scolded them. How long were they going to keep chatting?! They were still at level two battle alert! Murrue apologised and changed the status to half watch. It should be alright now. Natarle sighed. However, as soon as the announcement echoed through the ship, the captain received a message from Murdoch. He was begging her to stop the Lieutenant Commander La Flaga who insisted that the repairs on his unit be done now so he could go and search for the kids.

"Lieutenant Commander! I will not allow you to take off! Give the maintenance staff a chance to get some rest!" Captain Ramius ordered as she came running into the hangar.

"We haven't received word from Orb yet, have we?" Mu fiddled with the circuits of his Skygrasper.

"No, but..."

"Our ship is safe now. So what's the problem?"

"No! I will not allow it!"

"But what if those guys escaped successfully?!" The man finally snapped, turning around.

"I understand! Me too...! If I could I'd be the first one to fly over and rescue them! But right now, that's impossible!" The woman was sounding so desperate.

"Captain..."

"And given the present situation... I cannot allow you to go out alone either, commander! Should you sortie and also not return, I..." Tears beaded at the corner of her eyes as she was starting to panic and her feelings started showing. If that man who had been her sole support and who was her... their only remaining strength was to leave... But she noticed and stopped. She recovered a little and looked down. "Right now, please believe in Orb... in Kira, Seren, Tolle... and remain here." She instructed, like she was pleading him.

"Roger." Mu sighed and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. If it was for her, if she needed him, if she was asking him like this... he would stay.

In the hallways, Natarle called Argyle-nittohei and handed him three cardboard boxes, telling him to gather the personal belongings of Crewman Koenig, Ensign Yamato, and Ensign Ledford.

"Personal belongings?! But they could still be-"

"The captain has declared them as MIA. So this is common procedure. By reminding yourself of the past and feeling sad about it, you're assuring yourself of being the next one to be killled. That's what a battlefield is."

In the dining room, the maintenance staff was discussing, unaware that Flay was listening... They had finally made it to Alaska, but without the Strike or the Blast... who would've imagined that both Yamato and Ledford would be wiped out like this... And indeed, they didn't seem very sad about it, unlike Flay who gasped shocked. She saw Kuzzey coming and asked him about Kira... and Seren. He told her they had been reported MIA, Missing In Action, a military term meaning 'killed in action but unconfirmed'. It was the same for Tolle. If she wanted more details, she would have to ask someone else. That was all he knew. He tried to enter the cafeteria but she roughly stopped him.

"Wait a minute! I'm asking you, where's Kira?! And where's Seren?!" She repeated. It was plainly impossible for something to have happened to BOTH of them. It was as if she had not heard anything he had said... or it was probably more like she was refusing to understand and accept. Her brain seemed to have the capacity to filter unwanted information.

"And I'm telling you I don't know!" Kuzzey snapped, shocking the girl who let go. It was not in his habit to raise his voice. "Not even if they're dead or alive!"

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"They're probably dead..." He voiced his opinion more softly, sadly. "It's fine now, right? Leave me alone!" He entered the cafeteria, really not in the mood to deal with her stupid questions or her neediness.

"Dead? Kira?" She muttered in disbelief, her eyes watering.

Sai went into the room Tolle and Miriallia shared with his boxes. He jolted when he saw her sitting in the dark and hid the boxes in his back. But she hadn't seen them. She asked if there hadn't been any contact from Tolle. She was usually a rather optimistic girl but now she was looking so miserable.

"N-no, b-but I'm sure there's nothing to worry about!" Sai lied, unable to destroy her any more than this. "The captain has asked Orb to search for them. We may very well learn something once we arrive at headquarters."

"Y-yeah, you're right. Because he has to be okay..." Milly tried to convince herself before once more hanging her head. The boy stepped back, put the boxes on the opposite bed and hid them behind the shutter without her noticing anything.

"Let's go to the cafeteria. You mustn't remain here alone."

The guards were pushing Dearka (whose hands were tied behind his back) in the hallways while he wouldn't stop complaining arrogantly like he owned the place and annoying everyone.

"Stop poking me like that! I'm injured, you know! Geez, how much longer were you planning to leave me like that?!" He whined. A soldier told him to shut up. The two former Heliopolis students stopped behind Neumann told them he was the Buster's pilot, and was surprised at his youth. As Elsman was passing before the group, he remarked the young girl with the downcast expression and stopped before her. "Eh? You've got some pretty cute girls aboard this ship, I see. What an idiot. Gimme a break. What are you crying about? I'm the one who wants to cry." Dearka ranted thoughtlessly, carelessly. Milly's eyes widened as she froze. To her that lack of sensitivity and consideration only sounded like an insult, he was cruelly and deliberately taunting her, tormenting her. Aware of her feelings, Sai tried to attack him but Neumann stopped him. Violence towards a prisonner was prohibited. Haw gritted her teeth. They didn't know that Flay had been intently watching the scene from afar.

Seren suddenly stood up. Athrun, who was sitting up on his bed, looked at her. Chacha was perched now on her shoulder. She was still in his room. She had never left him. She had slept at his side, eaten at the desk, and sat on the couch from which she had not budged. And after waking up, she had kept thinking, and then shutting all thoughts to see what was left. And she had reached a conclusion. She had decided what she wanted to do, what she was going to do. She called for Cagalli and Rayner to come in the room.

"Kira is still alive, and I'll be searching for him myself." The girl asserted when everyone was there. This declaration caused a storm of protests from Cagalli and Athrun. There was no way he was still alive! There was no way he could have escaped! He had killed him! She had seen everything! They couldn't find him anywhere despite their resources! She was still injured and needed rest! What could she do on her own?! Athrun resented her too. He was doing his best accept what he had done, even though she had cried like this... what was she saying now?! He did not have enough strength to make her face reality too! Only Rayner kept quiet and then calmly but strictly reminded her of her responsibilities towards the Archangel, its crew, and her friends there. "I believe in Kira, in the bond we share, and in my instinct. Kira is alive, and I will find him. That is my priority, the path I must take right now. La Flaga is still with the Archangel, and they've reached the Alaska air defence area so there's nothing to worry about**_ for now_**." She glanced suspiciously at Athrun.

"And what will you do after you find him?" Rayner questioned. Cagalli cried his name. Even though she wanted Kira to be alive too, she was scared to believe, and didn't him to indulge Seren's wishful thinking too much, or Seren would be the one to hurt the most if she found out Kira had truly died, or she could as well keep searching forever.

"I have no idea. I don't even know whether we'll come back or not. Well, for now just confirming his safety will be enough. Kira killed his best friend's comrade, had another precious friend killed by him, and was practically killed by that best friend too. I doubt he'll ever want to experience that again, and truthfully I don't ever want to go through what I did these days either. But... we might be forced to make a choice again... because even if we stop walking, war will continue." She was speaking so resolutely that no one could retort anything. And they also felt that even if they did, she would not listen anyways. Because even if she wavered a lot, she wouldn't budge after having taken a decision. Athrun sighed and went to sit back on his bed, exhausted.

"Alright." Rayner agreed. Seren was truly thankful to him for a lot of things. He was the one who had made it so she could stay alone with Athrun, and prevented people from entering after she had fired that gun and now he was supporting her again without question in this apparent wild goose chase despite her complete lack of evidence. But suddenly, they were interrupted by Kisaka. Athrun's escort had arrived. The young man glanced at Seren and Athrun before taking Cagalli by the shoulders, hushing her protests and taking her out to greet ZAFT. Cagalli didn't understand, but he did, and was being considerate. His cousin glared a little before turning to her childhood friend who was already lost in thought. She sighed and pinched his nose so he couldn't breathe to make him snap out of it.

"What are you doing?" He exclaimed. She then helped him up.

"Didn't you hear anything? Your escort has arrived. ZAFT soldiers cannot be taken into Orb. Geez, will you really be alright?" Seren asked worriedly, her hands on his cheeks as if to make sure he was steady and focused. He smiled faintly and suddenly leant against her and held her close with his valid arm, surprising and making her blush.

"Yeah... you're really a strange girl after all..." Worrying about him like this despite what he had done to her friends, to Kira... even though she was going to kill him earlier. "Should I say thank you? Though I'm not really sure right now."

"And you are really an idiot after all." She briefly hugged him back before pulling away. "I know you don't believe me, you don't want to, but Kira is still alive, and I'll do something about him. But I'm very worried about you since you can be really reckless." The young woman unfastened the mini photo album she put in one of her pockets and removed her pendant to place it around Athrun's neck. "It's a stone amulet of Haumea. It protected me well all these years, now it will protect you."

"Even though I killed your friend... and Kira?"

"If that's truly what you think, don't make me lose someone else." She pleaded so strongly. "Besides, you didn't kill Kira." She slightly slapped both his cheeks where her hands remained. "So at least, if anything, you don't need to burden yourself with his death." She accompanied him to the door leading outside and stayed at the opening while he jumped down on the inflatable boat and was led to the ZAFT seaplane.

"You bastard! You've got your nerve, showing your face around here!" Yzak greeted him angrily. A soldier helped up the other red coat.

"I destroyed the Strike like I said I would. I also damaged the Blast out of action." Athrun walked away. Yzak looked at him with a satisfied smile. But before he closed the door, he saw the girl on the Orb ship looking at them with an unreadable expression... and he recognized her.

"Huh? That girl..."

"Yzak, the Blast got the Buster." Zala said, reporting his attention back to him.

The Archangel received a communication from Orb. Kisaka informed them of the search's current status. They were all overjoyed that Seren was still alive. And she wanted to talk to them. She appeared on the screen. She was also reassured that they were all fine. And she also told them that she won't be returning to them. She had decided to look for Kira on her own. As she had expected, her announcement shocked them all and caused a commotion on the bridge. And Lieutenant Badgiruel was of course the most virulent, which was only natural given how selfishly she was acting.

"I have already taken my decision, and whatever you do or say, it won't be overturned. And I must say it turns out well since I didn't want to go to Alaska anyway. I have received information that the top executives of the Earth Alliance in Alaska, and notably those of the Atlantic Federation, have been infiltrated by Blue Cosmos, and I certainly didn't intend to fight and die for those people, nor did I want the Blast to be used by them in any way. I will look for Kira, but I have no idea what will happen after that. I may return alone, or with him, or not at all. And I don't know either when that is going to be. I wanted to inform you of my intentions and ask you to choose. I know acting without permission like this and without any evidence to back my claim would get me executed, but I will still look for Kira. I want to know whether you'll still forbid me to go and make me a deserter, or will you gamble on me and allow me to go?"

"Alright. I give you permission to go look for Kira-kun." Murrue authorized after a time, surprising everyone.

"Captain!" Natarle protested.

"I agree with the captain." Mu supported Ramius. "Even if Seren's a soldier, she's still a child. And though she's still a child, she has those abilities, and that instinct of hers. She'll go regardless of what we decide but if you make her a deserter now and Kira is really dead, we'll lose everything. If we let her go and she finds Kira alive, we'll have everyone back. The best option should be obvious. If it's something Seren feels she absolutely needs to do, don't you think we should be responding to her with trust instead?" He smiled at the vice-captain, echoing Murrue's words from the Menelaos, when she had chosen to let Kira and Seren disembark. That man was really something... using proper arguments to reason with Natarle, protect Seren-kun, and in the same time giving her such a heart-warming 'wink' in words...

"If you two are saying so much, then there's nothing I can do."

"Thank you... for everything... and especially for going along with my selfishness. And I deeply apologize for all the trouble I have caused and I will be causing you. You will probably be mistreated in Alaska for having shielded and trusted us Coordinators but please, hang on..." Seren smiled softly, warmly, gratefully.

The PLANTs...

Lacus was scolding Green-chan for being bad when Pink-chan left the group and hopped towards a conservatory. It was slightly away from the house, and the hallway connecting it to the house was also made of glass. Lacus told him he shouldn't go there and went after him. The door opened and he hopped onto the bed where a boy was sleeping. The girl picked him up. Kira opened his violet eyes. His head was bandaged and he had bandaids on his cheeks too.

"Good morning." Lacus greeted him with a gentle smile.

* * *

Look up. That day, on a sunny day, it rained. But an umbrella of smiles was quietly handed to those soaked in the rain. What we had was not happiness from staying alive after having fought. The reality of all those sacrifices, of friendship, of love... kept tormenting us. Just accepting them was the best we could do. But even so, we had to live on... and pursue the path we had set out for ourselves.


	30. In the promised land

**Phase-30: In the Promised Land**

Flying low in her gyroheli, Seren looked down at the woods, searching. If Kira had truly died in that cockpit, something should have remained of him inside. But it was not the case. Now did he come out on his own or did someone help him out? If someone helped him out, then why not help her too? Since there were so many possibilities for the case of 'someone's doing, for now she had decided to assume that he had come out on his own. However, even if he managed to escape before his cockpit turned to THAT, that explosion from the Aegis' self-destruction had certainly not left him unscathed, and wounded as he had to be, there was only so much distance he could cover. So she would thoroughly search the whole island.

The girl saw a building, and a number of children playing in the courtyard... and only one adult. She landed. The little ones had gathered to their caretaker, a middle aged man with black hair that was slicked back. There was this mix of curiosity and apprehension on the children's faces. Seren climbed down, Chacha perched on her shoulder, and walked towards them while the man came to meet her. And it was then she noticed he was blind.

"Excuse me. On April 17th have you come into contact with a young man, a wounded teenager in a pilot suit with dark brown hair? His name is Kira, Kira Yamato."

"Why are you looking for that person?"

"Because he's my friend. So, have you met him or not?" Seren asked a little too emotively. How much she cared for that person was as plain as day, which was why it was so difficult for her to remain calm and cool.

"I met him."

"Really?! When?! Where?! How was he?! Is he alive?! Is he safe?! Where's he now?! Inside?!" The female Coordinator involuntarily grabbed the man's pullover with her two hands.

"On April 17th, he collapsed in front of my orphanage. He is alive, and he is safe. I left him in the care of a trustworthy friend where he should be healing quietly."

"I see... he's alive... he was really alive after all... he's alive... I'm so glad..." Trembling, she let go and fell on her knees. Chacha put its tiny paws on her cheek, as if comforting her. Tears of intense relief fell from her eyes and she started sobbing uncontrollably. She had acted strong before Athrun, before the officers, but now, somehow, before that man, she could only let go. He knelt down at her level and put a hand on her other shoulder.

"Do you want to see him?"

"Yes."

"What will you do when you see him? What do you want to say?"

"I don't know... I just want to see him... with my own eyes..." For now, she just needed to see him, to be with him, to make sure...

Kira had woken up at the Clyne Residence. He asked where he was, and turned to the young woman next to him. She asked if he recognized her.

"Lacus... san..."

"My! Just call me Lacus, Kira. I'm so pleased that you remember me. Don't you find the garden much more comfortable than a room?"

"I..."

"Reverend Malchio found you collapsed and gravely injured before his orphanage and contacted us. I recognized you and asked that you be brought here." The idol explained. She had also asker her butler to contact her father and their doctor, intent on being the one to save him this time. His purple eyes slowly widened as he rememdered his fight to the death with Athrun, how desperate they had been to kill each other, how full of rage and hate... He started panting and sweating.

"But... why? Why am I...?" Suddenly, he remembered the Blast, Seren rushing in... and being caught in the explosion, he remembered how he had crawled out of the Strike's cockpit, just in time before another explosion made it burn, and how he had gone to the Blast... Seren wouldn't answer no matter how much he called her, and the cockpit wouldn't open. Then he had walked, trying to reach help, trying to reach the Archangel, even though he was hurting all over and could barely stay conscious, he had walked and walked... until he had seen the Archangel flying above him. And he had collapsed... "Seren! Is she here too? Is she alive? Is she okay?" He sharply sat up on his bed.

"No, she's not here. I'm sorry. I don't know where or how she is..." Lacus apologised. Kira gasped in horror and despair. If she, too, had died because of him, because she had tried to save him like Tolle... He clutched the sheet in his fists and cried, biting back his howls of anguish, his back bent as if crushed by the weight of his sins and burden. Lacus looked at him sadly and placed a kind hand on his fist.

"I... fought against Athrun... I should have... died... but... Seren tried to save me... and..." His voice was quivering was so much. Lacus gasped too before hugging his back comfortingly and whispering his name, as if begging him to forgive himself for being alive.

Some time later, the haros were playing with the robotic dog, or more like the opposite. Lacus was serving tea.

"Nothing could be done about it." Kira said after having calmed down. He was properly lying down too. "I... killed his friend. And Athrun... killed my friend. That's why..."

"So you tried to kill Athrun, right? And Athrun tried to kill you. Seren must have tried to stop you, didn't she?"

"Yeah... I think she didn't know about Tolle... She got caught in the explosion of the Aegis as she tried to help me..."

"But that could not be helped, could it? Because you were fighting a war." She said softly. Kira's eyes widened as he turned to her. "Seren fought and risked her life to protect those she held dear, and Athrun and you fought against an enemy. Am I wrong?" An enemy... Lacus' words reminded him of a scene... when he had stood before the Strike, right before that final battle against Athrun and his comrades...

_"Enemy?... am I your enemy?" _ He had wondered as Torii had flown away. He had clenched his fists and hung his head. "_That's right, isn't it, Athrun?" _ And still, not when they were little children who didn't know anything, not even when they had met again in Orb after having fought so many times had Kira considered Athrun an enemy. And Athrun had still been as kind and warm as he had been on the moon...

"Enemy..."

The Archangel docked in the harbor in Alaska. It was hidden behind a large waterfall... even larger and taller than the ship itself. Inside the ship, basically everyone had slumped where they were. Badgiruel was standing next to the captain. Flay, sitting on her bed in the dark, her knees against her chest, was staring at the wooden box on the opposite bed like a zombie. She had been told to put Kira's belongings there. In her dark room, also sitting on her bed, Miriallia was crying, the box for Tolle's belongings next to her. Now, she had no choice but to face reality.

"The Archangel... I never expected it to make it here." One of the eigth top executives of the Atlantic Federation present at JOSH-A, the JOint Supreme Headquarters – Alaska, commented. It had become the central command center after the fall of Victoria Base. But although it was officially run by the TWO main powers of the Earth Alliance, the Eurasian Federation and the Atlantic Federation, the truth was quite different...

"Perhaps Halberton's force of will protected it..."

"It was protected by two Coordinator children." Someone scoffed, looking at Kira's and Seren's confidential investigation reports.

"Don't say that with such certainty, Captain Sutherland. But the fact that the Strike and its pilot have gone MIA, and the absence of the Blast and its pilot... it's, how should I say, very fortunate."

"The GAT series are something that we should be using front and center. But it hardly makes sense to have some Coordinator children pilot them." It reinforced in their eyes that they were a lot better than Naturals. Sutherland was looking at the files of the GAT–X131 Calamity, GAT-X252 Forbidden, and GAT-X370 Raider. The technology of those 6 units from Heliopolis had been passed on and further developed. This time for sure, it was going to benefit them, and only them. However, maybe it was good that the Archangel wasn't destroyed... since they could still have use for this ship. The existence of the G weapons and this ship might no longer be a secret but ZAFT still seemed to have such a strong interest in that ship... certainly, it would make an ideal bait. Sutherland-taisa had also told Azrael they would do the necessary changes to fix all the problems. All of this was for the preservation of their blue and pure world.

Ramius-kanchou and her ship received a message from the joint operations room... the 'messenger' transmitted Captain William Sutherland's words... 'I commend you in your achievement in making it through so many battles. At this time, we must also have you report on your activities so all crew members on your ship are on standby until further orders.' This surprised all the top officers. The soldier explained that things were hectic here due to the rumors of the attack on Panama. Well, in the meantime, they should sit back and relax. The communication ended, and the two women looked at each other, disconcerted.

A seaplane landed at the Carpentaria Base, which was bustling with GINNs, DINNs, BuCUEs, ZuOOTs, ZnOs, and GOOhNs. Yzak was inside a factory, looking at his Duel in the care of the maintenance staff. And Athrun was in a private medical room, his mouth slightly agape, pensively staring out the window at the sunset, assailed by memories he could never forget even if he wanted to, memories so hurtful they could almost numb him to pain... memories of Kira killing Nicol, his precious friend, and the Blitz exploding, memories of his Aegis latching onto the Strike, his typing the self-destruct code, escaping, and the Aegis exploding, killing Kira, his best friend... He remembered Seren's golden eyes full of hate and rage through her tears of agony, grief and despair. He remembered the trembling of her loaded gun pointed at his chest.

_"Kira, he hadn't changed at all since back then... he was an airhead who lived recklessly, who never knew what he was doing, who always cried and cried, and who was impossibly kind... so why... why did you have to kill him... why did he have to be killed by you, his best friend, of all people?!" _

And he remembered her strong hope and conviction in those same eyes... _"I believe in Kira, in the bond we share, and in my instinct. Kira is alive, and I will find him." _

Suddenly, someone knocked and entered. It was Commander Le Creuset. The boy deeply and guiltily apologized. Nicol was killed, Dearka and the Buster were captured, and he had lost the Aegis. But his superior was not of the same mind and praised him for his achievements and said he was the one who should apologize for not having been able to help sooner.

"The sacrifices made were significant, but couldn't be helped." Le Creuset reasoned. "That just explains how strong the enemy... your childhood friends were." At these words, Athrun gasped slightly, his eyes wide, and a small and cruel smile appeared on the Commander's lips at the reaction he had elicited. After all, even if you knew, hearing someone say it, like twisting a white hot knife in your wound, was different. And still, the man's voice, and tone sounded so warm, so compassionate... Zala tightly shut his eyes and gritted his teeth. "I know it's been a difficult string of battles for you. Miguel, Nicol, Commander Waltfeld, Commander Morassim, and many other soldiers have lost their lives to him. And the pilot of the Blast who destroyed Captain Zellman and the Gamow, and who continually eradicated all our troops in space and on Earth and captured Dearka... Your skills, to have been able to defeat them are being valued highly in our home nation. It has been decided that you will be awarded the Order of the Nebula. In addition, this is very sad news for me, but I received notice that as of today, you are being transferred to the Special Forces and will be reporting directly to the National Defense Committee." Rau continued.

"No way... Commander!" The teen protested. He didn't feel as if he deserved such honor, especially after what he had done, and what he didn't do. And he needed familiar marks to recover, and comfort him.

"You're a top gun now, Athrun. You're to become the pilot of the latest machine. You're further requested to return home to receive the machine." The light blonde man instructed firmly yet admiratively. The boy attempted another objection. "I presume you've heard of your father's appointment as PLANTs Supreme Council Chairman. Chairman Zala has been pressing for a quick end to this war. I'd like nothing more than for this war to end as fast as possible. I want you to do what you can to achieve that." He skillfully incited him, his voice deceptively soft and peaceable, as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

At JOSH-A, Ramius-kanchou called the joint operation room as she had questions regardings orders given to her ship. She was told all orders regarding her ship were given by Sutherland-taisa but as he was in a meeting, she could not be put through to him. She insisted. They had a ZAFT pilot aboard, taken as prisoner. They were still waiting for orders regarding even that! The messenger repeated Sutherland's orders: 'All crew members on your ship are on standby until further orders.' That was all he could say at this time. He ended the communication. The woman growled innerly.

"An Olbani package of concessions? What's the big idea bringing something like that on the table now? Operation Spitbreak has already been approved." Chairman Zala scoffed at the Council. In Carpentaria, Rau Le Creuset was leaving the base on a submarine, saluting all the soldiers on the piers. He was leaving to take charge of the Operation Spitbreak.

"Of course, I'm not suggesting accepting it as is. But if we went into battle, there would be casualties. If there's any chance to avoid it, don't you think it's worth a try?" Clyne defended himself. He had been allowed to stay in the council as an advisor. However, those last words made Yuri Amalfi frown. His son had already become a casualty. The battle had long begun. Or was Clyne asking them to discard those sacrifices, to trample on the feelings of those who died... in order to get along with this ridiculous joke of a peace offer?

"Still! You can't expect us to agree to these pathetic conditions for peace!" Ezalia Joule slapped the papers with the back of her hand. "They're acting as if they've already won the war!"

"If we just reject it outright, it'll be impossible to attain peace!" Eileen Canaver argued. Another debated that thing was only a sorry attempt to buy time. Then, as the discussions continued in the radicals' favor, Siegel tried to intervene again.

"Then are you suggesting that we give up any attempt to negotiate and rely only on guns from now on? Is that really what we are?" He stood up for more impact. However, by likening his peers to warmongering barbarians, he had acted too offensively.

"Former Chairman Clyne, you're out of line. We're proceeding with a general consensus. I suggest that you cease making remarks based on personal feelings." Zala stood up too and reprimanded him. Siegel apologized. "We appreciate your valuable opinion on this matter. But the rest is up to us, the present Supreme Council, to consider. In the meantime, please tell Reverend Malchio that I thank him for coming here personally as an envoy."

"I shall tell him. I hope that you will choose the right path, with an eye on the future." Clyne left the council and walked up to Evidence 01.

Le Creuset was briefing a number of officers about their future attack on JOSH-A. The map showed the enemy base entirely surrounded by their forces. The Alaska base was said to have been designed to withstand even a nuclear attack. Though of course, nuclear weapons could not be used now nor had ZAFT any intention of using this type of weapon. Their only option was to sneak into the interior section known as Grand Poro but that wasn't going to be easy either. It was a place they could not enter unprepared. They had to be informed on all Alaska base activities at all times. However, because it was regarded as a special mission, they were bound to strict confidentiality. No matter how strong the urge to tell someone of their adventures, they had to keep it to themselves until after the war. There was no telling where information could leak from after all... However, noone detected the faint derisive tone in his voice as he said that last sentence...

In the cafeteria of the Archangel Sai was trying to get Miriallia to eat but without much success. Well, not like he could blame her. Even he had barely touched his food. He was also worried about whether she properly slept at night but that couldn't be either. Even now, he was basically just conversing with himself while Milly would just be there, lost in a daze. But that changed when they heard the maintenance staff gossip. They were complaining about not being able to disembark. It was quite unusual to be kept on board for five days after arriving at headquarters. But even though they had been told to keep working, they only had one skygrasper... At this, her eyes widened and she started trembling.

"What do you say we fix the Buster we've brought on board? Just to kill time..." One carelessly half-joked.

"What good will it do to us to fix the enemy's machine?" His friend wondered.

"But it used to belong to us." The first one replied with the same tone as before. They seemed bored.

"You're right about that!" His coworker laughed. Argyle put the trays away. Now was the time for the teens to leave. Staying and listening to THAT would only hurt the already grieving girl more. He touched her shoulder.

"Milly, let's go." Sai said gently.

"But those can be operated only by Coordinators, right? We've got no one who can ride that thing with Yamato being MIA and Ledford who abandoned us to go on that wild goose chase."

The boy was softly leading his friend by the shoulder. She was holding herself and had started sobbing again. It seemed like the way she was now, the smallest thing could break her. Suddenly, he was called by Flay. Torii came flying by and landed on his shoulder as he turned back to face his former 'fiancée'. Flay gasped as she was reminded of Kira. She had seen him so often with that bird on his shoulder.

"What?" Sai asked curtly. Torii took off and went to scrape at the red head's face. She screamed and protected herself and the robot flew away. "Stop that. If it's nothing urgent, we'll talk later." He started to leave with Miriallia again. Flay desperately called his name. Sai and Milly entered the infirmary. He told her to wait inside. He was going to go get the doctor so he could give her medication or something. She needed to sleep a little at least. Sai left. The door closed behind him. She sat on the stool next to a bed, her head down.

"Hey, doctor!" A male voice surprised her. She turned around and was shocked to see the prisoner lying on the bed. She frightully bolted upright and jumped away, facing him.

"What do you want from me?" Sai asked Flay who had followed him.

"'What' you say..." She just looked down and could not properly answer. It was like a replay of that time when Kira and Seren were bedridden, with their roles inversed. One begging for the other's attention, and the other giving them the cold shoulder... So now that Kira was MIA, she was returning to him? How despicably self-serving...

"Tolle's gone, Kira's gone, and Seren's left. Everyone's depressed... including myself." The boy said. At this, she sharply raised her downcast eyes. "So right now, I'm in no condition to comfort you. Sorry." Although there had been a time when he still would have comforted her regardless of his condition. "Go and ask someone else." He could no longer deal with her. She really seemed to have no self-awareness at all.

"Sai..." She whispered as her former promised man passed her by without a single look. "But! In fact my feelings are-"

"Flay!" Sai screamed her name warningly. She should not go any further, sink any lower than she was now.

"You knew all along, didn't you?! I actually never felt anything for Kira!"

"Cut it out!" The young man snapped so much that Flay recoiled fearfully. She really had no idea... just how terribly cruel and selfish she was being. She never thought or cared about their feelings, even though they had showed her such genuine affection. So easily and brutally cast one aside to manipulate and use the other as a tool for her revenge... and now that her tool, her knight was gone, she was chasing after her old prince. But there was only so much one could put up with. Sai had truly considered Kira as friend, even despite what had happened. And to hear Flay treat his friend like this after his death was just too much. But that wasn't all... "You did like Kira!"

"You're wrong!"

"No I'm not!" He angrily shot back, silencing her with his sheer conviction, the force of his voice, his anger, his sadness. "You might've felt differently at the beginning... but he was really kind... so... because that's his nature..." He was shaking, tightening his fists. He might have ceased to like her the way he did before, but she was still important to him, and so, he had kept looking at her, and he had seen her feelings gradually changing, softening, in response to Kira's warm and profound tenderness. Tears welled up in Flay's eyes.

"You're wrong! You're wrong! You're wrong!" The girl violently shook her head. But just as she was so vehemently denying him, she was even more strongly denying the truth of his words that she felt in the deepest part of herself. She didn't want to hurt. She didn't want to be alone. She couldn't bear it. She desperately needed someone to cling onto, a man to protect her, reassure her, indulge her...

Miriallia glared at Dearka with horror and fear. The young man's surprised expression changed into a disdainful one as he asked her what she was looking at him like that for.

"Am I scary? Unusual? Relax, I'm all tied up." He sat up and showed her his bound hands before lying back down. "But what's with that? You're crying again?! Why is a girl like you on a ship like this?" He spoke arrogantly like he couldn't get an idiot like her, as her eyes were watering again. "If you're that afraid, you've got no business being a soldier! Right?" He continued, not noticing the girl's fear turning into anger and hate, or her taking a knife from the medical tray... "Or maybe your dumb good-for-nothing Natural boyfriend croaked or something?" He looked just in time to see the knife descending on him. He dodged, and the blade plunged into the pillow. "What the hell are you doing?! Damn you!" He shouted. Miriallia was panting, crying, her usually sweet and pretty face twisted in intense rage, grief and hate. She howled and tried to stab him again. Tearing the blinds, Dearka fell on the ground. The girl tumbled down too. She was once more raising her knife when Sai entered. Flay was still pursuing him and attempting to persuade him. He cried Milly's name when he saw what she was trying to do and immobilized her.

"Let go of me!"

"Calm down, Milly!"

"Tolle's gone! Even though Tolle's gone... what is that guy... what is that guy doing here?!" She yelled. Dearka watched, distraught, bleeding from his head, the tears of anguish falling from the resentful eyes of the girl who had tried to kill him. She was just missing her loved one so much she could not bear it. And she could not accept that his possible killer could be here. While he was fighting, he had never thought of the feelings of his enemies. And then, Nicol had been killed. Now, for the first time he saw the true face of his 'enemy'... just a crying girl who missed her boyfriend. He had expected a ship of heartless fanatics. But he had been the heartless one. And seeing that man like that, hearing Miriallia's words, Flay remembered her father's ship exploding... "Why? Tolle's... Tolle's nowhere... so why...?" Haw weeped in Sai's arms. Flay noticed a gun in a drawer. She recalled Seren's and Kira's crying faces when she had given them the paper flowers. She remembered when Kira had twisted Sai's arm, and Kira sleeping in his gundam with a tormented expression... She remembered when they had fought in Orb and how he had gently taken care of her when she had been sick... With trembling arms and tears in her eyes, her face distorted by loathing and fury, she aimed the gun at the ZAFT soldier. Coordinators had killed her father. Coordinators had killed Kira.

"Coordinators... all deserve to die!" She bellowed. Miriallia's eyes widened in horror. Kira and Seren were Coordinators. But they were just a clumsy airhead and a problem child. She didn't hate them. She didn't want them to die. Tolle liked them! Tolle wanted to support them! Coordinators were not monsters who deserved to die! She jumped and tackled Flay, deflecting her arms just as she fired. The bullet hit a lamp in the ceiling. Shards of glass fell. Milly sobbed on top of Flay who lay there, with an incredulous expression.

"Beginning tomorrow, we will hold an inquiry into the military affairs of the Archangel of the 8th Fleet up to now." Sutherland announced on the monitor.

"Yes, sir." Murrue and Natarle acknowledged and saluted. They were the only two officers present.

"Lieutenant Commander Ramius, Lieutenant Commander La Flaga, and Lieutenant Junior Grade Badgiruel are to arrive here tomorrow at 07:00." The man instructed. The screen went black. Natarle glanced at her superior who was looking down with an apprehensive expression.

"Oh my, you're awake. I was about to wake you up. Have you slept well? It's good you woke up now." Lacus gently greeted Kira as he opened his eyes again. He sat up. She was brewing tea. But something was strange. There were four cups. One for him, one for Lacus, and then... for who? "Today, we'll have guests. And there's also a surprise for you." She smiled mysteriously. Then she received a communication. The guests had arrived. "Oh dear, already? I'm coming." She told Kira to wait patiently while she was going to greet them and bring them here. She scurried into the house, Pink-chan after her. The boy waited. After a few minutes, he heard the door open again. Lacus had come back. She was accompanied by a black-haired middle-aged man who walked with a cane, and by... no, it couldn't be... his purple eyes widened in great surprise... but...

"Kira!" A familiar girl with chestnut brown hair and amber eyes exclaimed suddenly, while running towards him. A robotic squirrel had taken off from her clothes and had started flying around them.

"Seren!" Kira stood up and ran to her too. Lacus smiled as they embraced and cried and sank on their knees from physical and emotional weakness and exhaustion. But then, aside from his immense relief, Kira had also felt his confusion and anxiety growing...

* * *

We wanted to reach that place, no matter what... without knowing that the toll we would have to pay would be too great for us. Our most precious people that we could no longer see... We thought we would be saved, but we were already broken, and what awaited us were more tears and suffering. Even though we had arrived, we were still lost. What our journey had taught us... was the meaning of despair.

* * *

**Author's note: A huge thank you to all those who put my story among their favorites or alert list, and those who reviewed. However, instead of a one-word comment, you'd truly help and encourage me if I knew what you liked in this story... ^^**


	31. In the dark

**Phase-31: In the dark**

Like a deer caught in the headlights, Dearka stared at the sobbing girls. 'Milly', the one who had tried to stab him, and who had saved him, was lying atop the one who had tried to shoot him, 'Flay'. Wide-eyed, Flay was also too shocked to show any kind of reaction. Sai was the first to recover and took the gun away. Miriallia moved back and sat down on her shins. Flay sat up.

"What did you do that for? Why did you get in my way?! You were trying to kill him yourself! You hate these guys too, don't you?!" All this time, Flay had been the only one in the group to dislike – and then loathe – Coordinators. And now that she thought she had finally made an ally... why was Milly denying her and shaking her head like that? "Don't you hate the Coordinator who killed Tolle?!" She stood up. At this, it was Sai who reacted. He recalled how she had viciously, hatefully raged and lashed out on Lacus Clyne as she didn't want the likes of a Coordinator to be friendly with her (from what he had been told) and on Kira and Seren after they had failed to protect Vice-minister Allster. But despite her hatred of Coordinators, her consideration towards Kira had changed after all. Both had had their man killed by Coordinators... why was Milly stopping her? Why were they different? Why didn't she hate Coordinators like she did? Coordinators killed people, they were the enemies! Since they killed people they loved, wasn't it natural to hate them and kill them before they killed more? So why was she the only one hating them?! "What's that look? You're no different! You're just the same as me!" She cried desperately.

"Flay!" Sai said her name warningly and clamped his hands on her shoulders.

"You're wrong..." Miriallia muttered, turning all eyes to her. "You're wrong... I'm not the same... I'm not! I don't hate Coordinators!" She asserted, just as desperate. And her earnest vow, made with tears of sorrow, shocked and deeply stirred the ZAFT soldier's heart. It was then Pal and La Flaga entered and asked what this commotion was about. Sai and the girls were sent back to their rooms and Dearka, after his new injury was bandaged, was lead at gun point to a prison cell.

"It was a mistake leaving him in sick bay for so long. Not only that, but for a moment, he was even left unattended." Badgiruel reported to the captain, sounding as if she was blaming her for her carelessness. Murrue sighed, acknowledging her subordinate's opinion. "There's also a problem with gun control on board. We have no choice but to report this incident as well."

"You're right. Add it to your report." Ramius said tiredly.

"Captain!" Natarle suddenly and more forcefully called her. The older woman stopped. "Please understand that I'm not trying to criticize you personally. My point is that order is extremely important to us and whether we're appointed to field operations or in an emergency situation, that should not change."

"I understand. Or that's what I wish I could say..."

"The military must be strictly regulated. It should consist of soldiers who prompty follow orders of their superiors and a commander with a handle of the complete picture who can make appropriate decisions. Otherwise, the troops and this ship will not be able to survive or win battles."

"Even if one knows what's required, it's no use if one's unable to do it. I know very well that I'm not suited for the position I'm serving." The brown-haired woman admitted good-heartedly with a kind and warm smile. She was aware that she was considered too soft and lenient. Rather than the leader type, she was the nurturing type. It was quite clear when you knew that before the Bloody Valentine War, she was a school teacher.

"Captain! I'm just saying that-" The Lieutenant JG tried to insist but was silenced by a gesture.

"It's alright. I understand, Natarle." Murrue said softly. "A lot has come between us, but I'm really grateful for your help. I'm sure you'll make a wonderful captain." She left upon these words of encouragement.

"That's exactly why I say you're too soft." Natarle muttered with a hint of frustration to hide that she was actually touched before walking the opposite way.

Kira and Seren were sitting on the bed in the veranda. They had finally calmed down and stopped crying. Just how relieved they were that the other was alive and well (at least relatively)... Lacus and Malchio were sitting on chairs at the table. The idol was petting Chacha. That robot had always been particularly popular with children and girls.

"Kira... I... didn't come to bring you back. The way I am now, there's no way I can force you to do that after what happened. I can't even say that I have enough strength to return myself. I just wanted to make sure you were truly safe. And... you know... I... spoke with Athrun..." She trailed off. Kira's eyes widened. "I was rescued by Rayner and Cagalli... and instead of finding you, we found him. He told me that he had killed Tolle..." She started trembling uncontrollably. "And that he had killed you... and I was there too, there was no way you could have escaped... and..." She clasped her hands together, her fingers digging into the back of her hands. Her voice was quivering. "I... I tried to kill him... I... wanted to kill him..." Even though she loved him... and because she loved him... "But I could not... When I think of Tolle... I still want to... but I still can't after all... and part of me doesn't want him to die either... I don't want to lose him too... but is that really..."

"Seren..." Kira whispered. She too had agonized, much more than he had ever imagined she would. The strength she had always showed him was really just a façade, wasn't it? Even though she had spoken so strongly and resolutely to Athrun, to Cagalli and Rayner, and to the ones on the Archangel, now she sounded exhausted, desperate, terrified, and full of doubts. For the first time, she was exposing her wounds, her scars to him, something Seren would have never done before as to not burden him any further, as to protect him. And she was also exposing them to Lacus and Malchio-san, people she barely knew at all and as such, people she normally would have never bared her heart to. But although it wasn't conscious, she felt things had to change. She needed the strength to believe in him, in others, and expand her horizons... and for that, she needed to stop shielding him like this... and Kira needed the strength to grow his wings, accept their weight, and fly. And he could not make that impulse.

"And you know, Athrun was really devastated too... he cried and cried, convinced he had killed his best friend... But I didn't want to believe it. So I made excuses to reassure and justify myself and I just up and half threatened Ramius-kanchou without any grounds to allow me to go. I also warned them about the Blue Cosmos having infiltrated the Atlantic Federation, and Alaska. I gave the ruins of the Blast to the Morgenroete and I left..." The two former EA pilots looked down. Without either Coordinator, without Tolle or Cagalli, there was only La Flaga and his skygrasper 001 who could protect the Archangel now. If something serious happened, certainly the Archangel wouldn't last long. They knew it, felt guilty, but could not blame each other. They had reached the limit of their strength. They couldn't walk a step further. They didn't even know where to go. They were bogged down in a sea of mud and blood and tears. They had struggled to their last drop of mental and physical energy... and sunk to the bottom.

Dearka lay in his bed, his arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling. He turned, but the movement rekindled the pain. He winced and touched the bandage on his head. He recalled Miriallia's tears.

_"Or maybe your dumb good-for-nothing Natural boyfriend croaked or something?" _

_"Tolle's gone! Even though Tolle's gone... what is that guy... what is that guy doing here?!"_

"Tsk. To think that I was right on." He turned again, now regretting his thoughtlessness. Not because of the injury it had caused him, but the hurt it had caused her...

Ramius, Badgiruel, Neumann, Chandra, La Flaga, Tonomura, Murdoch, and Pal saluted as three top officers of the base entered and sat down. On either side were four soldiers with laptops. Captain William Sutherland of the general staff introduced himself. He had been put in charge of all the instructions and deliberations relating to the Archangel of the 8th Fleet. He was flanked by two Rear-admirals. The three examiners put down their hats and Sutherland-taisa ordered the Archangel staff to sit down. They obeyed.

"We've already retrieved the log data from the nav-com and we're currently analysing it. Ramius-kanchou, I must say your battle history is quite impressive..." He praised the ship captain, although the mocking irony of his tone did not escape the young woman. "I now wish to have you report on the details to this point and to listen to your testimony. I must first point out that this inquiry is being held in accordance with regulations pertaining to court-martial, and as such, anything said here will be recorded as an official statement. I trust that you will all refrain from untrue comments. Are you ready?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then let's begin with file one. The circumstances surrounding ZAFT's surprise attack on Heliopolis." He moved the slider and the room darkened and the screen behind him lit up. "Let's first hear from then-lieutenant Murrue Ramius." He stated. At the mention of her name, the woman stood up.

Lacus pushed a two-shelved food trolley to the conservatory where a second bed had been installed for Seren. She had insisted that she was fine but with those injuries, she didn't fool anyone. She had already delayed her healing enough as it was by pushing herself so much without any rest in her search for Kira. She needed to stay put in bed! That was Seren, however. She rarely listened, and when she did, it wasn't for very long. And this time, neither she nor Kira were there. The pink haired girl looked at the empty beds with a troubled expression. The two had gone down the stairs to the terrace overlooking the sea. Kira was leaning on the stone balustrade, the shirt of his light blue pajamas open, revealing his bandages. Seren was sitting on the grassy ledge of the cliff, her knees against her chest. She had been forced into similar pale yellow pajamas. Chacha was curled in a ball on her head. The sun was shining. The breeze was blowing. The seagulls were crying. But the beauty and undisturbed serenity of the scenery did nothing to appease their hearts...

Tolle... they were remembering their precious times with their precious friend that won't ever come back. Even though he had been so convinced that Orb wouldn't become a battlefield as it was a neutral entity... All the times he had teased them, he had been there for them, he had supported and protected them, in Heliopolis, in the Archangel, even shielding them with his body when the soldiers were holding them at gunpoint and calling those soldiers crazy... even volunteering to go fight at their side on the frontlines, in order to do what he could for them... even though they had tried to stop him... and because he wanted to protect them, he was killed by Athrun...

"What are you looking at?" Lacus asked them as she joined the boy at the balustrade. "Kira, Seren, you always seem to have sad dreams."

"We _are _sad." Kira answered after a time. All they had ever wanted was to live in peace. Yet, they had partly caused and seen the destruction of their home colony. They had fought. They had caused the death of many, like at Artemis. There were all those they couldn't protect, like the refugees from Heliopolis or Flay's father. And they had killed many others... the GINNs at Heliopolis, at the Debris Belt, the battle of orbit, the BuCUEs, ZuOOTs in the desert, Waltfeld-san, the DINNs, GOOhNs, and ZnO, and Athrun's friend... and Kira and Athrun had fought to the death, and Seren had tried to kill Athrun... "Many people have died... and we have killed many people..." Tears welled up in his eyes and he hung his head. Seren was shaking. She had buried her face in her knees. Lacus stroked Kira's hair.

"You were in battle. And I'm sure that there were also many things that you were able to protect." She said softly with such a tender and gentle smile and yet so confidently. She truly believed that from the bottom of her heart. Seren sharply raised her head, and as Kira's tears had been stopped, hers started flowing. How could she say exactly the words they needed to hear? A soothing smile, a strong, kind, and sincere soul, like a warm light in the darkness, and healing words like balm on their wounds... "But..." The songstress trailed off, her head a little down with a sad and slightly unsure expression. The two sufferers looked at her.

_...Is it really alright to stay like this? _Seren's amber eyes widened at this thought and she threw it away like a burning log. And in the same time, Lacus's face lit up again.

"Right now, let's have something to eat! I'll go and re-heat the food." She changed the subject. "You too, Seren, please don't stay here, it's dangerous." She hugged Kira's arm and extended her hand to Seren who, caught in her pace, stood up and took it and passed the balustrade. The pink-haired one hugged Seren's arm too and she took her friends away. "Besides, it's still important that you two rest. Do not worry. It is still peaceful here." They climbed up the stairs, Haro hot on their trail.

Kira and Seren had trudged in the darkness for so long, and they had lost many things along the way... they had lost their light, their innocence, their strength, the people for whom they were fighting, they had lost hope. They had lost their way. What they were fighting for, what they were fighting against... they had forgotten even that, if ever they had known... Killing people, killing your friend's comrades, making him, them, hate you and try to kill you, seeing your own friends die, killed by him, by them... as long they were on the battlefield, that would happen again. That was the arrangement, the logic, the truth of this world. They had learned and experienced that. And seeing people die, by dozens, by hundreds, by thousands... day by day, by your hands, or by others... you couldn't help but feel crushed by your own powerlessness at being unable to do anything against it. Alone against the whole world, what could they do? Nothing, right? That was when they had learned despair. Even if there was not happiness here, at least, in this house, there was peace. They didn't need to think about the past, or the future. It was alright if they could just live day by day, since that was all they could do the way they were. They didn't need to fight. They didn't need to suffer. They had done enough, right?

Alaska – in its shallow seas, a Vosgulov-class was resting on the ocean bottom. And in a street market, a young man with light wavy blonde hair down to his shoulders, his eyes hidden by black sunglasses, met up with another one who gave him a disk. A cynical smile on his lips, Le Creuset left.

"So you already had a suspicion then that these youngsters, Kira Yamato and the then-Seren Ashford, could be Coordinators, am I right?" Sutherland questioned. Ramius confirmed. She had seen Kira Yamato rewrite the mobile suit's OS right before her in such a short time.

"Although he was a student attending a technical college, he instantly interpreted and reprogrammed the OS of a machine he'd seen for the first time. Not to mention it was a top-secret X-series belonging to our military. Not something a normal youngster could pull off. Of course, I've had my doubts about Seren Ashford at first, but when I saw her fight on equal footing with- and even drive off a machine piloted by a ZAFT soldier, the Aegis, I immediately had suspicions that they could in fact be Coordinators."

"And what were your thoughts after witnessing their abilities right before your eyes?"

"Just that they were amazing..." Murrue tilted her head, clearly not understanding the depth of that deceptively simple question. _'Just'..._ right, Coordinators were amazing, Coordinators were dangerous... Coordinators were a threat! A threat to be exterminated! That was what she should have thought then. At this Sutherland scoffed, smirking. Mu noticed and frowned.

"And then, following the self-destruction of a GINN, when you fell unconscious, they took care of you. And you later restrained them." He continued. Again, the woman confirmed. "That would be viewed as the proper decision under those circumstances... I understand you were injured at the time and there was a need to quickly regroup and understand what was happening around you. However, before you could establish contact with friendly forces, the ZAFT mobile suit that got away from Commander La Flaga entered the colony. We can only sum this up as bad luck. But during this, the Strike and Blast had been handed over to naïve civilians. Not only that, but those civilians were Coordinator children. You failed to take control of the situation. Am I right?"

"No...! But in that situation...!" La Flaga stood up and protested, desperately trying to defend the woman he had grown so fond of. He had a bad feeling. However, he had been too transparent.

"Right now, I'm only confirming the facts, Commander La Flaga. Please refrain from personal opinions." The interrogator reminded him. The mobile armor pilot gritted his teeth. "As a result, Kira Yamato fire the 320mm hyper impulse cannon 'Agni' and Seren Ledford fired a shot from the "Schwert Gewehr Lanze" without any knowledge of their power. Although they successfully got rid of the enemy mobile suit, they ended up causing tremendous damage to the structure of Heliopolis. Furthermore, it can be said that the ZAFT assault force was threatened by those shots and as a result, they once again entered the colony."

"That's nothing but conjecture made after the fact!" Mu objected.

"I suppose you're right." Sutherland granted. Slightly pacified, La Flaga sat back down. "However, I'm sure that as a commander flying to the battlefield, you'd understand... if you were the commander of an assault force and were vividly shown how powerful the enemy's new weapon is, would you choose to ignore it?"

"No..." The veteran pilot was forced to admit.

"Are you implying that fighting back was the wrong decision?" The ship captain asked worriedly.

"I wouldn't say that much. Just that it was bad luck that you came across Coordinator children." The inquisitor tempered, but his manner of speaking that made it sound as if Coordinators were the source of all calamities made the Archangel crew gasp.

"That's nonsense!" Murrue bolted upright. "If it weren't for them, we..." We wouldn't have survived and made it this far...

"If it weren't for them, Heliopolis might not have collapsed. It's meaningless to play what-if after the fact... but let's just imagine for a moment that the children were regular natural children incapable of rewriting the OS... and that they weren't aboard the Strike and the Blast during that time... clearly, things would have ended differently. However, they were there at that time. And you're the one who allowed them access to the Strike and Blast, weren't you, Ramius-shousa...?" Sutherland-taisa called to mind. Even though he had said it was meaningless to play what-if after the fact that was exactly what he had done. And even though he was right, he was also twisting things in his favor. If Kira and Seren had not been Coordinators, whether they had been in the Strike and Blast or not, those two units would have been captured or destroyed. And with only La Flaga to protect the ship, the Archangel would have been destroyed too. That much was certain. However, it was indeed likely that if Kira and Seren hadn't proven to be such a threat for ZAFT, the colony might not have collapsed. Nobody could deny that. Natarle looked down, aware that her reports were contributing to her captain's fall... It was really sad, but Ramius-kanchou had brought it upon herself. The female captain clasped her hands tighter.

"You mean to say that all of my decisions were errors of judgment?"

"We are fighting against Coordinators, Lieutenant Commander Ramius, and their incredible powers. They may have been children and civilians, but Coordinators are Coordinators. The facts were right in front of you, so why did you fail to realize it? Having them in this world leads only to chaos!" The inquirer revealed his thoughts. La Flaga, Neumann, Tonomura, Murdoch, Chandra, Pal... they were all frowning and gritting their teeth, while remembering Seren's words...

_"I have received information that the top executives of the Earth Alliance in Alaska, and notably those of the Atlantic Federation, have been infiltrated by Blue Cosmos, and I certainly didn't intend to fight and die for those people, nor did I want the Blast to be used by them in any way."_

_"I deeply apologize for all the trouble I have caused and I will be causing you. You will probably be mistreated in Alaska for having shielded and trusted us Coordinators but please, hang on..." _

"Following this incident, the Archangel was involved in the destruction of the Eurasian military base Artemis, got the advance troops wiped out, and later, led the 8th Fleet to its demise."

"You're twisting the truth! We-" Mu stood up again.

"You? You what?"

"We were only following Rear Admiral Halberton's-" Murrue got up too.

"Are you saying that his will is the general will of the Earth Forces? When did that happen? Calm down, Murrue Ramius. I'm not saying that you are to blame for everything that's happened. I believe you did well to make it through some severe situations. However, the fact is that after making considerable sacrifices, by the time the Archangel finally arrived in port, it was without the all-important Strike and Blast. What more... Seren Ledford has shown you her refractory nature on multiple occasions and yet you still let that time bomb run off on you on that wild-goose chase without the slightest ground despite all the information in her possession. How can we face those who have given their lives for your sake? We have no choice but to make everything clear and determine the results and who's responsible for these events... in a manner that satisfies everyone. Shall we continue?"

In the dining room of the Archangel, Sai asked Kuzzey to bring Flay her meal but he recoiled fearfully. Before such a reaction, Argyle crossly told him to forget it. Kuzzey went back on his word and took the tray but his friend petulantly insisted that he let go and forget it. However, Buskirk could at least take it to Flay's room but he thought it better that Sai gave it to her. Sai sighed. Certainly the communication operator hoped the former fiancés would use this occasion to reconcile. But he had never imagined that Milly would do what she did. The bespectacled young man accused the ZAFT soldier. It was his fault for having said something to upset her. Kuzzey had heard that guy's name was Dearka, Dearka Elsman, and asked what he had said. Sai replied a little sharply that he didn't know. Buskirk frowned, slightly upset. The CIC operator had been really harsh recently. He changed the subject. What was going to this ship? They had arrived so everything was over, right? They could ask for a discharge, rigth? He sounded so hopeful but with the same tone as before, Argyle answered he didn't know that either and that he should ask the captain about such things. They entered Miriallia's room as they had brought her meal too but she was nowhere to be found.

In the confinement area, Miriallia slowly passed all the empty cells before suddenly hiding behind a partition. She was breathing hard from anxiousness. And she was recalling what she had done. She had tried to kill someone. She had been so overwhelmed by grief and rage that she had lost herself and tried to kill... she passed her head and was seen. Dearka quickly sat up on his bed and the frightened girl instinctively backed away. She tried to run away, unable to face him.

"Wait!" The young man cried without a hint of hate or resentment. She stopped and turned her head. "Ah... huh... well... your boyfriend... where did he..." He asked softly, carefully, as if scared of hurting her, of breaking a porcelain doll.

"He was in the skygrasper... at the island... when you guys attacked..." Milly answered just as softly.

"Skygrasper?"

"A fighter plane, blue and white."

"It wasn't me." Dearka said after a time with a quiet and relieved voice. "What's the matter? If you came to kill me then do it." He finished amenably. But Miriallia didn't do anything. She just kept gazing at him. He had showed genuine care and understanding. And he wasn't the one who had killed Tolle. And his sympathy... had touched her.

"This now concludes our inquiry. Thank you for your cooperation in answering the many questions. We will be in touch with you about your next mission on the Archangel. I ask that all crew members except Mu La Flaga-shousa, Natarle Badgiruel-chuui, and Flay Allster-nittohei return to their respective posts and wait for further orders." William Sutherland instructed.

"Then, what about us?" La Flaga questioned.

"I have orders to have you all transferred. Report to the Personnel Bureau tomorrow morning at 0800 hours. That's all." The inquirer replied. Natarle interrupted him. She wanted to know why crewman 2nd class Allster was also being transferred. "You were there to hear her words when she volunteered for the military, right?" Sutherland asked her back. The woman confirmed. "I'm certain that those words, coming from the daughter of the Allster family, will reach the hearts of many people... as well as her motives for joining the military... Her contributions don't necessarily have to be on the frontline." He smirked maliciously. Murrue frowned. It was clear those people wanted to use Flay to spread and intensify hatred against Coordinators and escalate the war.

The sun was setting on the ZAFT base of Carpentaria. In his room, Athrun closed his suitcase, ready to depart for the PLANTs in order to accept his promotion and his new machine. He was dressed in his red uniform but his left arm still being in a sling, the left sleeve of his jacket was simply hanging. He left his room. In the hallways he saw Yzak leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, clearly waiting for him, and the ghost of a smile curved his lips.

It was also evening in the PLANTs and the last golden rays of light were falling down on Kira who was enjoying the beautiful scenery from the balcony of Lacus's house. The pink-haired girl joined him. They tenderly gazed at each other.

"Wouldn't it be nice if we could stay like this forever?" She beamed warmly. A faint smile illuminated Kira's face for a second before they both turned to the setting sun. Seren was before the conservatory, standing at the top of the stairs descending down into the garden. Chacha was flying around. She was watching the same view, and the burning skies, like a sea of fire, were lighting a blaze in her golden eyes.

* * *

In a dark room in a corner of our hearts, we hug our knees. We sail, searching for salvation, like a tiny ark on a sea of suffering. We think of the ones who kept us alive. What we found, what we recalled, wasn't hope but someone's warmth. We were touched, we were healed, and given strength. This calm, fleeting and superficial, we wanted to believe it was peace. But deep behind the eyes of a few souls was a premonition of storm and fire.


	32. Respective decisions

**Phase-32: Respective decisions**

In the hallways of the Carpentaria base, Athrun saw Yzak leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, clearly waiting for him, and the ghost of a smile curved his lips. He walked to his level and Yzak stood properly, though arrogantly, a hand on his hip.

"So you were affected to the Special Forces, and you'll even get a new machine. How could you be the one selected?" The blue-eyed young man spoke with apparent anger and bitterness, although he was so obviously putting on airs that he didn't fool his former comrade and rival.

"I'm sorry about how things turned out. And thanks for you help." Athrun goodheartedly held out his hand. After a time, Yzak shook it. A lot had happened but Athrun Zala was still one of the rare people he could truly acknowledge. Their hands returned to their side. "Bye." The Chairman's son picked his suitcase again and walked away.

"During the Spitbreak Operation I'll rake in achievements. Next time, I'll make you my subordinate. So don't get killed before then." Joule declared, his back turned to him. Athrun's eyes widened for a second. Yzak... had really changed... although he was still the same.

"Okay." Zala smiled a little and left. Yzak finally glanced back at him.

Chairman Zala was sitting at his desk in his office. It was a dark and sinister room. He received a communication from Le Creuset. All forces were in position for Spitbreak. All that remained was for him to give the go ahead.

The next day at the Clyne Residence, Kira and Seren were sitting on the bench, the breeze blowing in their reddish brown hair, their gaze lost in the distance, their shoulders touching like they were supporting each other. The boy was dressed in a dark and light gray shirt whose design was quite similar to the one he had in Heliopolis, and pistachio pants. The girl was wearing a tea rose knee-length skirt and a soft yellow-green short-sleeved top down to her hips and enhanced by a tea rose ribbon belt. Chacha was curled on her lap. Although significantly less than when they had first arrived, they still wore tired expressions. Now more than ever, thanks to the perspective they had gained, they could feel just how much weight they had to carry on their shoulders until now. Back then they were desperate just to put one step before the other. And now, they could finally feel that weight lifting.

"It's almost time for the rain. Why won't you come in for tea?" Lacus came to fetch them. Her smile was so gentle. She was accompanied by Pink-chan, Yellow-chan, Green-chan, and Blue-chan. The two former Earth Alliance pilots looked at her as if entranced and obediently stood up and joined her. The little squirrel caught the ribbon from where it dangled like a marble with a tail.

In the Archangel, Badgiruel was dragging a struggling Flay by the hand. The girl kept repeating (screaming) that she didn't want to leave and telling her to let go of her. She was the spitting image of an unreasonable, capricious and petulant child dragged by an adult. When they arrived at the captain's level, she asked why she was the only one being transferred. It was clear – and perfectly understandable – that she was extremely worried and scared to be separated from everyone she knew and finding herself all alone.

"Would you cut it out? These are orders from the headquarters. You have no choice." Natarle harshly scolded her. It was exactly like she was telling her 'Grow up already!'... Allster had volunteered, and now she was part of the military. Because Ramius was so lenient, she had basically been allowed complete freedom until now, but she should have expected that one day, she'd have to assume her responsibilities and obey orders as someone who had chosen to wear a military uniform. Flay angrily broke free. Murrue-san sadly explained that the Lieutenant was right, and that as captain, she could not disobey direct orders from headquarters. But she still tried to give her hope: if she wished to object, she should be able to do through the Personnel Office. "There's no way they'd even consider it." Badgiruel replied sharply, remembering how their superiors had been clear and adamant on that matter. She put down her luggage and saluted. "Goodbye, Captain."

"Thank you for everything until now, Lieutenant Badgruel." Murrue saluted too, a kind smile on her lips.

"You're welcome."

"I hope we have the chance to meet again... somewhere other than the battlefield."

"I'm sure it'll be possible once the war is over."

"You're right. Please take care of her."

"Yes. Now let's go." Natarle grabbed Flay's wrist and dragged her away. The girl looked desperately at her ex-fiancé, saying his name like she was pleading him to help her. Sai, Torii on his shoulder, uttered Flay's name and instinctively took a step before backing and looking down. He wanted to, but he could not help her.

"Maybe I'll give them a piece of my mind too, at the Personel Office." Mu pondered as he walked to his captain after having watched this sad scene.

"There's no way they'd consider it." Murrue said softly, shrugging and iterating her former vice-captain's words with an acceptive yet unhappy smile.

"But why do they want me to go to California to be an instructor at a time like this?" La Flaga lamented.

"With your teaching, the number of rookie casualties on the frontline will surely drop." She appeased him too. He sighed. "Come on, you're going to be late." She gently pushed him. He took down his cap, crunching it in his fist against his chest, and cursed through gritted teeth. He could not throw a tantrum like Flay but he could not simply agree with the given orders like Natarle either. He didn't want to leave this ship. He didn't want to leave that woman. Murrue saluted. "Thank you very much for everything you've done." But although she was still smiling, her voice was quivering. She was acting strong, for his sake. He knew it, and couldn't do anything about it. He lowered his head and put his cap back on it. After a time, he saluted too.

"Same to you." He said simply but with emotion. He lightly tapped Sai on the shoulder and walked away, saluting and being saluted. And now that he had finally his back turned to her, that he was leaving, tears welled up in the captain's eyes.

Not long later, the ship received the visit of members of the Personel Bureau, here to give them their new orders. Although temporary, as of today, the Archangel of the 8th Fleet was to join the Alaska Defence Force, 5th Escort Group. Official announcement by Captain William Sutherland. Ramius, Neumann and Tonomura saluted and accepted the orders. All the other bridge members were saluting too but Pal and Chandra were quietly emitting reserves between themselves... Alaska defence force? The Archangel was a SPACEship... They were further informed that resupply of the ship would begin at 14:00. That was all. But as the officers started leaving, the captain stopped them. They asked if she had a complaint but that was not it. Requests had been submitted for soldiers wishing to take time off or be discharged, and they hadn't even received word on what to do with the captive on board. The man replied a little harshly that they already had a lot on their hands with the countdown on Panama. He'd let the Captain now. And they left. More and more she had this feeling that even though they were supposed to be allies, the Archangel and her crew weren't considered or treated as such. A black sheep...

Seated in the shuttle that would take him back to the PLANTs, Athrun opened his suitcase. His eyes did not fall on his medal but on the piano sheets under it. Nicol's piano sheets... He closed his eyes and hung his head. He remembered the explosion of the Blitz, caused by the Strike, by Kira. He remembered self-destructing the Aegis and destroying the Strike. He remembered Seren's gaze full of rage, hate and tears that accused him _'even though you killed Kira, how dare you be still alive?!'_... and then, despite that... _"Don't make me lose someone else. Besides, you didn't kill Kira. So at least, if anything, you don't need to burden yourself with his death."_ She still cared so much about him. She was still so worried about him... He clutched the stone of the pendant she had given him before opening his eyes, taking his laptop, and closing his suitcase.

In Lacus' house, Kira, Seren, and Malchio were sipping tea in the living room. Lacus was kneeling on the ground and playing with Pink-chan and Chacha. Kira kept gazing though the window at the rain. The songstress asked if he liked rain.

"I was thinking, 'what am I doing here?'" The boy answered after a time.

"Where would you rather be, Kira? And you, Seren?" Lacus questioned, guessing from her expression and silence that Seren was wondering the same thing. Seren didn't want to leave this place. This was the peace she had craved. But when as often, she would start thinking of the Archangel, her friends onboard, Murrue-san, Mu-san... how they had let her go with a smile, evidently trusting that she would return to them... and bring Kira with her... those warm and sincere smiles caused her heart to ache so much and tighten with guilt and fear... and even more when she'd recall what she had told those on the bridge about the high probability of ZAFT's large scale attack targeting JOSH-A instead of Panama... And there was also the matter of Athrun... She exhaled.

"I don't know." The boy replied. His childhood friend smiled faintly in silent agreement.

"Do you not like this place?"

"Is it okay for us to be here?" Kira inquired.

"As far as I'm concerned, I'd reply: 'of course it's okay!'" The pink-haired one smiled kindly.

"The time will come when you'll realize where you should be going and what you should be doing... because you people are holders of the Seed..." Reverend Malchio affirmed gently.

"That's what he says." Lacus concluded.

At the Carpentaria base, the shuttle took off in the night sky with Athrun onboard.

May 8th. On orbit, the ZAFT fleet had gathered. The operation would commence on schedule. The mobile suits hurried to their atmospheric re-entry pods. From the sky and within the sea, ZAFT mobile suits and mobile weapons carriers headed to their target location. The weather condition was relayed to all.

"With this operation, I strongly wish that this war will come to a quick end with the hopes that this will lead to true freedom, independence, and justice. Operation Spitbreak! Commence!" Chairman Zala addressed. The personel of the control room relayed the order. Operation Spitbreak, target, JOSH-A, Alaska... That announcement shocked almost everyone, officers and soldiers alike. So the target wasn't Panama?! Le Creuset, who of course already knew about it, was smirking. The quickest way to end a battle was to strike at the head. Yzak quickly recovered from his initial surprise and smirked too. How clever and interesting... Chairman Zala wasn't in charge for nothing... before the maintenance staff member's incomprehension; he explained that the enemy believed Panama was the target and must have amassed their forces there. That was an excellent opportunity. This was going to finish off the Naturals for sure.

Siegel Clyne entered the living room and informed Malchio that he couldn't leave the PLANTs, not even using the Reverend's shuttle. No flight scheduled for Earth had been allowed to take off. Suddenly, he received a call from Eileen Canaver. Seren slightly brightened up, glad to be able to see her aunt.

"It's Clyne."

"Siegel Clyne! We've been had by Zala!"

"Canaver..."

"The target of Operation Spitbreak is not Panama! It's Alaska!"

"What?" The former chairman exclaimed angrily. Extreme horror slowly carved out Kira's features as he realized all the implications of what he had heard. He dropped his cup that broke on the table. Seren bolted upright, knocking her cup over which fell down and shattered. Lacus whispered her two friends' names.

"Eileen, do you have any details?! When was the operation launched?! What are the forces?! What's the situation?! Did you get any reports?!" She bombarded her aunt with questions. Things had turned out just as she had feared after all!

"Seren-kun! Why..." The Supreme Council member uttered, surprised.

"That doesn't matter! Please tell us more!"

"The operation has just begun. We don't have any details, but he's clearly planning to demolish the Earth Alliance Headquarters with one strike. Nothing of the sort has been approved by the Council!" Canaver said. Seren slumped back down on her chair and looked down. She and Kira started trembling as they remembered those they had left behind. Sai, Milly, Kuzzey, Flay, Badgiruel, Murdoch, La Flaga, Ramius... The boy clutched his shirt and the girl her head, terror and anguish deeply etched onto their faces. They started wailing. They had finally found peace here! But if they didn't go, those people would definitely die! Even if they run, even if they hid, they could never escape! As long as there was war, they could never escape! They could never know true peace! And soon, they calmed down, and acceptation came and sank in.

_"You will probably be mistreated in Alaska for having shielded and trusted us Coordinators but please, hang on..." _Even though she had not been thinking about coming back... even though she had spoken with past tense, how come it had sounded as if she was saying 'please, hang on... until we come back to you...'? Right, certainly, she must have known back then, even though she didn't want to believe. If there was a hope, a wish that could not be granted, then, there was no other choice but to be the one to make it come true. Peace was not enough. To be happy, you needed the ones you loved at your side, and a place where everyone could live together. For that to happen, you needed to protect them, and to protect that place. And there were times when you could not protect them without fighting. They loved both Coordinators and Naturals. To make a world without conflict, you needed the power to stop both factions, and you needed the heart to use that power justly. And if anyone tried to stop you, there was no choice but to shoot them. Even if there was no guarantee, they had no choice but to believe. They had no choice but to fight, in order to protect that hope...

Deep inside JOSH-A, four submarines were still waiting to depart. Mu and Natarle wondered what it was about. Maybe there were still units heading for Panama. The woman leant over Flay's shoulder to look at her papers to see where she was boarding before asking La Flaga. He replied he was with the gal. At this, Badgiruel sounded disappointed. She was to stay on the frontline while these two's new roles had them support the war effort from the back. The Lieutenant JG put down her luggage and saluted, but Mu held out his hand for the handshake, desiring to leave as friends and comrades and not just as soldiers. He told her to take care. She timidly took his hand. Then Mu and Flay left to board their submarine. Natarle watched them before looking at her hand that had been so tightly and warmly clasped by the Lieutenant Commander's. She recovered and walked away too.

Sutherland and a number of Atlantic Federation and Blue Cosmos executived had already vacated the base. One asked how the evacuation was coming along. Another answered that another three vessels should be left. Surely they were going to make it on time. There was no way ZAFT could get to the deepest levels right away.

Badgiruel boarded a submersible last and the vessel immediately departed. There was still a consequent line before La Flaga and Allster though. He told her to line up here and show her papers when it was her turn. He left, claiming he had forgotten something. He wanted to return to the Archangel, to that person, that woman. The girl anxiously watched him go.

In the base, all control rooms had been emptied, but on the screen, ZAFT's advance was shown, and when it passed a certain line, the alarm rang. The defensive weaponry deployed, shooting the ZAFT mobile suits. GINNs and BuCUEs attacked from the sky and the ground while GOOhNs and ZnOs covered the sea. The Archangel received a message from the Joint Operation Room, without knowing that the actual room had been vacated and that they were receiving a message from a submarine. Ramius asked Sutherland what was happening.

"Defense forces are to take off at once! Commence counterattack! They tricked us. They changed their target here at JOSH-A at the last minute. The Archangel is to defend the main gate." The officer ordered, shocking the Archangel's crew. Ramius acknowledged the order nonetheless. The communication ended. "Hang in there. You must draw ZAFT's attention." He smiled cruelly.

As the defenses were being overwhelmed the base started shaking. And Flay abandonned her chance of living away from danger and ran back. She too, wanted to return to the Archangel, to the comfort of its familiarity. That was where all the people she knew and appreciated were. Running around in the base without lights or people, La Flaga was cursing. What was going on?! How come the place was totally empty?! But deep inside, he had already guessed the answer... if they had truly thought ZAFT's target was Panama, they wouldn't have evacuated to this extent...

"The curtain has risen! It's time for the actors to show their talents!" Le Creuset, in his customized DINN, headed to the Earth Alliance base, and managed to enter it. He typed on his keyboard. It seemed that the information he had received from Azrael was correct. Inside the base, Flay was still desperately looking for the Archangel.

"It's cruel to be asked to fight under those circumstances but we can't afford to have headquarters destroyed. All hands, level one battle stations! The Archangel is taking off!" Ramius instructed.

"No way! How are we supposed to make it without Kira, Seren, or the Commander?" Kuzzey lamented. The captain kept silent. She didn't need to be told of the direness of their situation. But they had to follow the orders.

Tears still streaming down their cheeks, Kira and Seren raised their eyes full of grim and sad resolution. Lacus looked shocked for a second.

"We're going." Kira declared softly.

"We've got to go back... to Earth." Seren added.

"Why? Just you two returning isn't going to end the war." Lacus argued quietly. They nodded, agreeing with her. But they could no longer remain here and do nothing but watch. If one did nothing because they told themselves they wouldn't make a difference, they'd end up doing even less. Then nothing would change, and nothing would end. "Will you be fighting against ZAFT again?" The songstress questioned. They shook their heads negatively. "Then, the Earth Forces?" But again, that wasn't it. Kira and Seren looked at each other before turning to her again.

"I feel that... we have a better understanding now... of what we should be fighting against... of what Seren was trying to say, was trying to do all this time..." Kira said.

"Among ZAFT and the Earth Alliance, among Coordinators and Naturals, there are many who do not wish to fight. And there are also those who only care about victory without regard for human lives. At least, we understand those are the people we must absolutely stop. We must, as much as possible, prevent needless deaths and sacrifices." Seren asserted.

"In that case, let me give you two something before you go." Siegel Clyne insisted, looking like he had also taken a crucial decision. The teens were surprised. Siegel-sama left soon after that. And not long later, the butler brought Red Uniforms to Kira and Seren. Lacus told the two to change into those. And she gave the servant another instruction: 'please inform them that Lacus Clyne will sing the song of peace.'

Rau's DINN landed and the man came down and entered the facilities. And, still running in the dark hallways, La Flaga sensed his presence. Le Creuset arrived at the control room and, looked into the secret of the base... the Cyclops System buried within and whose status was displayed on the computer monitor before him... He smiled, clearly finding the situation rather interesting. But then he saw the shadow of Mu's profile, as well as the silhouette of the gun he was holding. The ZAFT commander took his own gun, turned, and fired at the peeking man before running away. The mobile armor pilot followed him inside, crouching down and taking cover behind the panels.

"Long time no see, Mu La Flaga. I'm sorry to say this after finally seeing you again but I don't have the time to be fooling around with you. Judging from the fact that you're here, you must no longer be of any use to the Earth Forces. The Hawk of Endymion has certainly fallen!" He fired, keeping the EA officer at bay. When Mu showed himself and aimed at the corner where Rau had been hiding, he was already gone. He looked at the monitor too and his eyes widened in horror. The Cyclops System was something he knew well.

Sometimes built in secret beneath Earth Alliance bases as a self-destruct mechanism, it had been used for the first time on June 2, CE 70 on the moon. For one month, battles raged between ZAFT and the EA along a line known as Grimaldi Front. Eventually ZAFT launched an attack on the EA supply base in the Endymion crater which resulted in the destruction of the Alliance's 3rd fleet. Nevertheless the Earth Forces were able to activate the Cyclops System underneath the supply base, destroying all ZAFT forces present at the battle... and sacrificing a large number of their own soldiers in the process. And he was one of the few people to know the truth.

Flay was walking in the hallways when she heard gunshots and Earth Alliance soldiers shouting that one ZAFT soldier had gotten in. She hid behind a corner. A guard was shot and killed right before her. She screamed in shock and fright, tripped, and fell. When the ZAFT soldier approached, she took the gun of the fallen man and aimed, although she didn't seem ready to shoot at all.

"Oh, my. How interesting." Rau commented. The girl's eyes widened.

"Papa... papa's voice..." She whispered, remembering her father's face, his voice kindly calling her name... the same voice she was hearing from that man... In her stupor, she did not even notice that she was moving, and that her finger was pulling the trigger. But Le Creuset reacted in time and knocked her out with a punch in the abdomen before catching her in his arm.

The LCAM-01XA Archangel left the hangar and sailed right in the middle of the battle. The Wombats missiles and Valiant linear cannons fired on Ramius' orders. In addition to her position as ship captain, she had also been forced to take Natarle's role as executive officer and supervisor of the Combat Information Center.

Seren and Kira were now wearing the same uniform as Athrun. And again, Seren was musing. They had kept lamenting at their inability to save everyone. That could be called kindness... or weakness... but really, why did they feel responsible for everyone's lives? Just because they had a little more power, why did they think they had to shoulder everything? Wasn't it just (astounding) conceit? Did they think they had become God or something, trying to solve everything? Even though it was obvious that such a thing was impossible from the start. Well, Kira had always been a wimpy idiot so it was normal for him not to understand such a simple thing. But she had believed herself smarter than that. But no. When did she become such a hypocrite? When did she become so arrogant?

They were just cogs in a machine. They just had to protect what was in front of them. And connect with those nearby. Also, even though they, and especially she kept shooting her mouth off and blabbering about lofty ideals and trying to bite more than they could chew, they really just wanted to protect those they loved. It had become evident when they heard the Archangel was in danger. They should be more honest with themselves, and with others, to talk with them, to share with them... Still... to have been THAT stupid and conceited... how disgusting... thinking back about it, she was giving herself the creeps.

"I wish someone had given me a good slap or two and a nice, harsh scolding." Seren heaved a heavy sigh.

"Eh?"

"No, it's nothing."

"Nee, I've been wondering about it, but do you really like slaps and lectures?" Kira's genuine and extremely literal question nearly made her fall. Certainly, she had lectured him more than once and also slapped and scolded Flay. Nonetheless, she answered just as seriously.

"Don't you know? Those can be more effective than kind words. Well, I guess it depends on the people, issues and circumstances. And I'd be grateful if you didn't make me sound like some SM lover." She elbowed him in the ribs and he yelped in pain. She didn't have to hit him! Well, she was grateful to Lacus for having healed her... it was just that it would have been nice if someone had been there to kick her butt too. It was a more radical way to get her back on rails but she usually responded well to that. Unfortunately, it was her family on her father's side who was best at it, and none of their members were currently here. Then again, if she couldn't pick herself up, that meant she still had a long way to go. "Anyhow, rather than fight for 'something' it's really much easier to fight for 'someone'. The path you must take becomes clearer too." She smiled slightly at the sky.

And if they connected with enough cogs or with enough power, they could make a new structure important enough to counter the existing one. When the game was beyond salvation, you smashed the board and made a new one. But you couldn't do that alone. That was why they needed to return to the Archangel, to Orb, and talk with everyone. They had to do something even if it seemed pointless, because in the end, no one could predict how things would turn out, how the smallest effort could affect the future, if not you, then others. Because she was scared of the future, she had always tried to predict as much as she could, and based her life on 'likeliness' unaware that she was actually closing possible through dangerous and difficult routes, notably because of the factor of 'others'. She had to change that mindset. First, realize your mistakes and shortcomings, then accept them, then learn and overcome them. And listening to them the songtress was smiling.

In the limousine that was taking them to the military base, Lacus was teaching them the ZAFT salute. As they floated along the corridors, they saluted the soldiers they passed by as they had been told. They arrived before a door guarded by two people. The daughter of the former chairman nodded. The men nodded too and passed their keycards through the readers on either side in the same time, unlocking the door. The three teens entered. They stopped on the causeway and the projectors switched on, lighting two mobile suits.

"Gundams!" The childhood friends exclaimed.

"Not quite. This is the ZGMF-X10A Freedom. And here is the ZGMF-X08A Independence. But 'gundam' sounds strong and nice." The idol giggled. "They are new machines adding state-of-the-art technology to the abilities shown by the mobile suits seized from the Earth Forces and developed under orders from the newly appointed Chairman Zala." She informed them. They asked why she was giving them such units. "I feel that the strength you'll need is in those machines. Neither will alone... nor strength alone... will be enough. That's why my father and I decided to entrust them to you. Don't you need this in order to fulfil your hopes and go where you truly want to be?"

"Neither will alone... nor strength alone..." Kira repeated, staring at the Freedom.

"And? Who are you really?" Seren wondered with a strange smirk on her lips, remembering the songstress' first appearance as an utterly naïve and airheaded princess.

"I am Lacus Clyne. Seren Elvira Ledford, Kira Yamato." The pink haired lady smiled.

"Is that so?" The dark haired one replied with the same tone as Kira thanked the idol.

Le Creuset escaped the doomed EA base in his DINN, with an unconscious Flay in his arms. La Flaga was running on the surface, trying to find an aircraft with which he could return to the Archangel that was currently under attack, effectively drawing ZAFT's attention. JOSH-A's defense forces, which mainly consisted of Eurasian Federation soldiers, were fighting bravely but could do little to block or even slow down the enemy's advance.

Kira and Seren changed into the red pilot suits worn by the ZAFT elites. Then the two girls hugged. But Seren was still worried.

"Will you really sing that song?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Then I guess my request from that time won't be valid anymore." The female MS pilot smiled in sad self-derision. Both remembered that time on the Archangel when she had also hugged Lacus... and she had pleaded her to take care of Athrun and to be his ally, no matter what. And both knew his loyalty towards his father, his country... "Then, I ask that you take care of that little one for a while instead." Seren handed Chacha to her.

"Is it really alright?"

"He'll help you prove your words when you talk to that guy. If he decides to be our enemy, keep that one until we see each other again. If he decides that he wants to talk to us then please give Chacha to him, so he can bring him back to me when he'll come down." She solicited. She was always thinking of him and caring about him, always. Lacus agreed, taking the little pet. She would convey Seren's feelings. "But be careful, you, and Siegel-sama." She hugged her again.

"You too." Lacus comforted Seren who headed to the Independence and boarded the unit. Then the songstress waited for Kira atop the Freedom's chest. He joined her and she held his hand in between them and he asked if she was going to be alright. "I will be singing... the song of peace."

"Take care of yourself." He smiled with a tranquillity he had never known since Heliopolis, and a strength that wasn't there before.

"Yes, the same to you, Kira. Go, with all my strength." She kissed his right cheek, her hands on his chest. A blush replaced his initial surprise before he smiled again. "Then, you shall be on your way." The girl floated away. Kira boarded his gundam. The two childhood friends booted the system of their machine. Over the ZAFT logo, the screen read **G**eneration **U**nsubdued **N**uclear **D**rive **A**ssault **M**odule. Nuclear?! N-jammer canceller?! Kira and Seren were shocked. Those machines had over four times the power of the Strike or Blast. But the real issue was further. That those things were powered by nuclear energy meant Chairman Zala wanted to use that incredible energy to annihilate Naturals. That couldn't be allowed after all! However, if those machines fell into the hands of the Earth Alliance, they would no doubt see that tragedy again... the destruction of the PLANTs... and that couldn't be allowed either... They could truly feel the weight of all Siegel and Lacus had entrusted to them. They pressed a button and the cables disconnected from the units. Their phase-shift armor activated.

The Freedom was mostly white, except its cockpit turned black with a red line, the flanks and wings and the edges of the feet turned dark blue. The Indepedence was also dominantly white but its cockpit, wrists, and feet edges were red. The torso also had a gold line and its flanks were black. Its fingers and lines on its calves were black too. Lines on its shoulders, wrists, thighs, knees and ankles were gold. The wings were mostly red with gold. The rifle was white with a gold line. The shield had white edges, a black interior with a gold line in the middle. The pilots recalled Lacus' words... _"Neither will alone... nor strength alone..." _They started the thrusters and zoomed and zoomed on the girl smiling and waving at them as the door closed.

"Hey! What's going on?!"

"The Freedom and Independence are moving!" Soldiers exclaimed in the control room.

"Seal the airlocks! Contact headquarters! Scramble!" Another barked as the hatches opened.

"Identify yourselves! Stop!" The two heard the orders. The Freedom and Independence leapt and flew through the shaft. They came out in the open and headed to the Earth. They passed by two GINNs, too shocked to move at first, but who quickly recovered and fired at the escapees that easily evaded the shots.

"Stop it! Let us go!" Kira demanded, although it had a pleading edge. He didn't want to fight them.

"Kira! Before you!" Seren called for his attention as another two GINNs shot at them from the front. However, the new mobile suits were too fast. While maneuvering, they closed in in an instant and each sliced the arms and head of a GINN with a beam saber before continuing their course without stopping or slowing down. The ZAFT pilots could only stare, stunned, at the interferences on their monitor. They passed a shuttle, without knowing that Athrun was inside. And Athrun who had been gazing through the window, caught a glimpse of the gundams... unaware of the identity of their pilots... And so, Kira and Seren sped towards the Earth.

* * *

The tears shed while being lost, while falling apart, while fighting, made us the way we are now. The chains that we can't see entwining our chests are the piled up weight of experience. Those repeated things and heavy chains, if we're burdened with them, it'll be all right not to do it all on our own. This sky that we soar through on awakened wings, because we want to protect it with our own hands, we don't need tears anymore.


	33. Descending swords

**Phase-33: Descending swords**

On May 8th, Operation Spitbreak began. The battle raged on at the Earth Alliance Headquarters in Alaska. The Earth Forces – that now mainly consisted of Eurasian Federation soldiers as practically all the staff from Atlantic Federation had already been secretely evacuated – fought on courageously. But as expected, they were being overwhelmed by the far superior numbers and abilities of the ZAFT forces in the sky, sea, and on the ground. The Archangel met with relative success, but after all, against these odds, there was not much they could do. Their starboard flight deck was bombed. The turrets and fighter planes were destroyed by the DINNs. The tanks, while able to get ZuOOTs, were destroyed by BuCUEs and GINNs. The Vosgulov-class submarines, the ZnOs and GOOhNs took care of the boats and any enemy on the shores. In his Duel, Yzak was leading a team of GINNs... and was disappointed by the low class of the targets. La Flaga sped through the streets of the base on a bike.

"Oleg has been sunk!" Tonomura reported.

"To port! We'll fill the opening the Oleg has left!" Captain Ramius ordered. It was their duty to gather the surrounding ships under their banner and prevent the defense from crumbling in that area. "Gottfried! Fire!" The two cannons fired, shooting down three enemies, but six more DINNs were approaching.

"We won't be able to resist them for long with this formation!" Neumann alerted. Chandra cursed. Headquarters had been completely out-maneuvered! To think even Seren had seen through that ploy! Sai asked if the main forces were all down at Panama. That was what they thought it boiled down to.

"They'll be returning, right?" Milly questioned fearfully.

"Let's just hope they can get here before we are completely wiped out!" Tonomura replied.

"Incoming missiles!" The ship defended itself but one still hit.

"So they're sacrificing the Eurasian troops and the Legged Ship." Le Creuset noted, observing the situation from his DINN hidden behind a rock. He was standing on the cockpit latch. "The Earth Forces' plans can be quite amusing." He commented, lowering his binoculars and returning inside. He seated himself and activated his machine. Flay, sitting on his lap, was still unconscious in his arms. "The stronger the guard, the greater the expectations for the treasure that lie behind it. I hope the Legged Ship does their best too." He smiled and took off.

La Flaga passed under a gate he closed behind him. He abandonned his bike and ran. He arrived at a hangar that came under attack too. Soldiers were carrying wounded away. One ordered another to call for backup to assist artillery. He saw the one at the communications who had just learned that the 11th Air Defense Corps had been annihilated... and who couldn't believe it. Mu asked him who was the commander here but they had to shield themselves as a shot fell near them and black smoke wafted over them. A CGUE landed at the entrance and fired inside, getting this 4th Entrance under control. The CGUE and a few DINNs advanced into the base. Seeing that, a maintenance staff who had been checking an aircraft sank on his knees, giving in to despair. La Flaga shook him and told him to retreat. The base had already been abandoned. But the man still didn't budge.

"Hey! Gather the survivors and get out of here!" He shook him more until he snapped out of it. "Get at least 10 km away from the base! Got that?! This is an order!" Mu climbled onto the fighting plane. The mechanic got up, screamed, and ran away. "Even though I'm not cut out to be a hero..." The officer complained. A GINN landed at the entrance and aimed at him but he shot it down and lifted off.

In one of the few submarines that had safely escaped, Sutherland informed his nine peers that ZAFT had breached the 4th Gate. The invasion into the base interior had begun. And it wouldn't be long before the main gate was breached too. It would be good if they could lure at least 80% of the enemy forces. He looked at the two closed suitcases on the table. They were plugged.

In another carrier, Natarle was sitting on the ground like everyone, her knees to her chest. She was looking down pensively when she heard the whisperings of two gossiping soldiers.

"Shh! Do you realize how serious an issue this is?"

"But then, what about the people who remain at Alaska?"

"After a desperate struggle, they'll certainly be wiped out..." One of the men guessed. This made Natarle gasp. "Then, HQ will play their trump card... and everything goes 'BOOM'."

"Hey! What are you saying?!" The former vice-captain of the Archangel bolted upright.

Thanks to all its armaments, the Archangel was still holding on, though barely. The Lohengrin was the sole weapon it could not use in these circumstances. But still, it was only a matter of time. The two Valiant cannons were hit. Damage was about to surpass 30%. Two more ships were destroyed. They couldn't get through to Headquarters. From every channel, Kuzzey (who was panicking more and more... so much that his voice was continually cracking) could only get the same message: all units continue protecting the line of defense and return fire according to circumstances.

"The chain of command has been severed! Captain, at this rate..." Neumann urged her again. There was still nothing from Panama.

La Flaga arrived at the main gate and was reassured to see the Archangel still hanging on... so relieved he reacted a second too late when a GINN shot him. His aircraft damaged, he tried to contact the ship but couldn't get through. He maneuvered to force an emergency landing in the bombed flight deck.

"Alliance aircraft approaching! It seems to have been hit!" Haw-nittohei informed.

"Is it trying to land on board?"

"That's crazy!"

"Ground crew unit! Some nut in an aircraft is trying to land on board! Take shelter!" Ramius took her phone and warned the ones on the deck.

"Get out of the way everyone!" Mu said, although they couldn't hear him. He landed successfully and jumped out of the plane, shocking the maintenance crew, and darted towards the bridge. The nut was La Flaga-shousa?! He had returned?! The captain was just as stunned. What in the world?! What about his new post?! "That's not important! Right now we need to get outta here! This is one screwy plan! What orders have the defense corps received?!" He yelled alarmingly, his hands on the armrest and back of the captain's seat. Missiles hit the ship that trembled. "Listen! Listen well! A Cyclops System has been set up below the HQ! That thing is big enough to turn everything withing ten kilometres into a smoking crater! It's impossible to defend the base with these forces. Reinforcements from Panama will not be here in time! Soon the defense corps will be annihilated, the main gate will be broken, and Headquarters will activate the Cyclops System to blow everything! The plan is to take out the better part of ZAFT's fighting strength. That's the scenario for this battle written those high-ranking authorities!"

"This can't be!" The captain was appalled, just like everyone else. She, they didn't want to believe it... that the Earth Alliance that they had sworn to serve, that they had always believed... would use such tactics with so little regard to human lives... but La Flaga had seen it with his own eyes... There wasn't a single officer at the HQ! The only ones remaining to fight were the Eurasian troops and ships like the Archangel that the hot shots had given up on!

"So they're telling us to die here?! Is that it?!" Neumann snapped.

"Only after a desperate battle so the enemy doesn't realize they've retreated." Mu specified. Ramius gritted her teeth. Kuzzey bolted upright but everyone had the same shocked and dismayed expression as he did.

"So this kind of thing is a plan. Because this is war... because we are soldiers... so if we're told to, we must throw away our lives?" Miriallia questioned fearfully with tears in her eyes. Because she was such a sensitive young girl who had never wanted this path, she was more affected, and more openly so than the others. The captain ground her teeth. The Archangel was to be the spearhead of the Earth Alliance, and notably the Atlantic Federation. This ship and its crew had bravely overcome many fierce and hopeless situations... enduring more than their share of hardships... and not a small number of people had sacrificed themselves for them... all so they could come here at JOSH-A, receive proper missions, so they could finally accomplish their duty... They understood the strategy of the Atlantic Federation... but was that the answer to the faith the crew and all those who died for them had in the Alliance? Discarding so many of your own people who believed in you, killing them yourself, no matter the reasons, wasn't it pure betrayal in the end? Was dying here like this like they were ordered to truly the best way to repay all those people? The best way to utilize their strength? The best way to bring the end of this war one step closer?

"If the objective of this battle is to lure the ZAFT forces closer, then in my opinion, this ship has already accomplished its mission! Note that I, Murrue Ramius, Captain of the Archangel, made this decision alone, and therefore no other crewmember is in any way responsible!" The woman declared strongly. She knew that leaving the battlefield without orders was a desertion and all of them would be court-martialed. But as their commanding officer, she wanted to protect her subordinates as much as possible.

"Don't put so much pressure on yourself." Mu eased her. Ramius stood up.

"This ship will now abandon the battleground and retreat! Send a message to all other Alliance ships to follow us! Engines, full speed! To port! We'll fly past the left wing of the harbor!" She sat back down. Her fellow Lieutenant Commander placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"This escape won't be easy, but don't give up. I'm taking off too."

"Shousa..."

"Don't worry. Have you forgotten? I'm the man who makes the impossible possible." And La Flaga left, heading for the hangar.

Le Creuset's DINN landed in a submarine. He opened the cockpit but remained standing on the latch. Yzak called him. He had come to resupply. The teen reported they had broken past two gates. Next time, they'd tear apart the interior! Rau cupped his chin, apparently in thought.

"Because of the Legged Ship, we haven't been able to get past the main gate. I'd rather have upi help out over there." He instructed. The boy thanked him fervently and left, glad to have this chance to avenge his comrades and wounded pride. Well, also he'd have a better chance at escaping once the Cyclops System would activate... if luck was on his side... "Let's see. So you're awake, young lady." He glanced back at Flay who was peeking out from the cockpit. Startled, she looked at him and, whimpering, fearfully ran back inside to hide and cower in a corner. Le Creuset smiled amusedly like a cat before a cornered and frightened little mouse. Really, her actions couldn't be more pointless.

La Flaga's skygrasper, equipped with the Strike's Launcher pack, destroyed a DINN. But from underwater a ZnO shot twelve 533mm torpedoes at the waterfall, the main gate, that exploded. A number of GINNs and other ZAFT mobile suits broke into the base through the smoke and flames.

"We've given you the main gate, so can't you just let us be on our way?!" Mu hoped through gritted teeth despite knowing full well how futile it was. A dozen enemy MS came after him but disposed in a line they made easy targets for a pilot like him and he shot them all down with the Vulcan Gun. The Archangel and the ships that had followed her arrived at the ZAFT encirclement line and met with a barrage of missiles. However, only the Archangel was fast enough to evade. The other leading ship was sunk instantly. And the Duel was approaching from behind. It fired its rifle and missiles. La Flaga cursed and engaged the X102 in combat. But soon, the Agni cannon was grazed and he had to detach the Launcher pack so his skygrasper wouldn't get caught up in the explosion.

"Port 20! Go around!" Ramius-kanchou ordered as the ship shook under the impact of the missiles. Chandra reported a group of enemy mobile suits at ten o'clock.

In space, the Freedom and Independence arrived at the atmosphere entry point. They put their shield before them and deployed their wings. An alarm rang in their cockpit as the temperature and pressure rose but they paid no heed. It would stop as soon as they'd pass the critical point.

"Rurik is immobile! Rollo's been sunk!" Chandra informed again as once more, the vessel rocked under the rain of attacks.

"Blocks 6 through 72 have been closed! Ship's operation down to 43%!" Sai yelled as more explosions occurred within the Archangel. More ZAFT mobile weapons fired at them. Clearly, he was doing his best to keep his calm.

"We're finished!" Kuzzey shrieked in sheer terror while holding his head with his hands.

"Calm down, you fool!" Pal scolded him from behind.

"Wombats! Fire! Increase engines to maximum! Get away from this!" Murrue barked. Just as the Wombats were launched, their canister was bombed. Because of the Duel, La Flaga was unable to go help the ship. Its propulsion decreasing, unable to keep balance, the Archangel fell to the ocean. It shot down a number of approaching enemies but they were too many to entirely keep at bay and two managed to pass their defenses and close in. They stopped right in front of the bridge and lifted their rifles to shoot. Everyone in the bridge gasped, their eyes widening in horror. That was the end. Overcome with fear, Mirialllia and Kuzzey tried to run away, as useless as it was. Murrue glared, bracing herself. But suddenly, against all expectations, beams pierced the weapons from above that exploded. Just as the two ZAFT soldiers looked up, they saw unknown mobile suits swooping down on them that took out their beam sabers and beheaded their units. The two soldiers retreated. Having lost their vision, it was too dangerous to stay and face those two who clearly outmatched them. The crew on the bridge of the Archangel gaped, shocked, at the back of those new machines that had saved them and were standing protectively before them.

"What's that?!" Mu demanded.

"What are those mobile suits?!" Yzak concurred. The wings of the two gundams unfolded completely, revealing them in all their grandeur and puissance.

"This is Kira Yamato! We're here to help! Please get your ship out of here!"

"Hi everyone, Seren Ledford here! I found Kira as I said I would. I'm glad you could hang in there and we made it on time. Anyway, that's how it is. We're covering you so go! Maximum propulsion!" But despite what the two had said, nobody moved. Milly, Sai, and Murrue whispered their names, shocked. The GINNs around the new mobile suits shot at them. Kira's and Seren's SEED mode activated. They moved away from the ship, and from each other and used their multi-lock weapons system to incapacitate many enemies in the same time by firing all their ranged weapons simultaneously.

As the 'elder' to the X09A Justice and X10A Freedom, the X08A Independence possessed features that would be integrated in its two sister units. In contrast to the Blast which was well balanced in terms of range and power consumption, the Independence was primarily focused on ranged shooting, although it didn't completely forsake close combat either... It was armed with two rapid-fire "Alcor" beam cannons mounted on the shoulders, two "Vega" rail cannons on the hips capable of going through anti-beam defenses, a "Lupus" high-energy beam rifle, two MMI-GAU2 "Picus" 76mm CIWS guns on the sides of the head, two "Lacerta" beam sabers on the hips that could be combined into a double-bladed beam saber, and the "Antares" 13,65 meters anti-ship sword was strapped across the back. It was a double-edged physical blade with a laser emitted along the edges. For defense, the Independence had a laminated anti-beam shield. As a gundam built using technology derived from the four captured Alliance's Gundams, it had Phase Shift Armor. The suit had full flight capabilities in the atmosphere and the back-mounted wings could be deployed in "High Mobility Aerial Tactics (HiMAT) Mode" to enhance its mobility in both atmosphere or in space. However, the Independence had only eight "feathers" instead of ten. And two of them were part of the detachable "Aquila" backpack that had an AI system for independent operation. When it acted as a separate attack unit, the two wings pivoted to a lateral position and broadened. This backpack was armed with a pair of powerful "Apus" plasma beam cannon that pivoted over the shoulders above the "Alcor" cannons when in use, and four "Corvus" turret machine guns. Especially used when the Aquila pack was employed independently, those turrets rotated to fire at enemy units or missiles from various angles. To feed this energy-hungry suit, the Independence was equipped with Neutron Jammer Canceller and powered by a nuclear reactor, giving it virtually unlimited combat endurance.

The targeted GINNs and DINNs all had their heads or arms destroyed. How could it be?! How could they shoot so many targets so precisely?! And they didn't miss a single one! Going out of their way to avoid the cockpits too! And their speed, their mobility... it was impossible to hit them! The childhood friends snapped the captain of the Archangel back to reality.

"Ah...uhm... but..." She stammered. "There's a Cyclops System below Headquarters... and we've been made... decoys... They planned it all! We had no idea!" She cried as they shielded the ship and disabled more enemies. Kira and Seren gasped at the horror of the Atlantic Federation's methods. "So we can't withdraw! We must get the ship further from the base!"

"We understand!" The childhood friends replied. The Freedom fired all their weapons simultaneously and continuously. And as they did, they sent the following message: "ZAFT! Earth Alliance! We call upon both forces! At any moment now, the Cyclops System will activate under the Alaska base... and self destruct! I repeat! At any moment now, the Cyclops System will activate and the Alaska base will self destruct! We ask that both forces cease battle at once and retreat from this area!" That injunction surprised everyone in all parties.

"I won't fall for that!" Yzak roared as he charged.

"The Duel!" Kira shouted, full of resentment, voicing Seren's feelings as both remembered the child who had given them the paper flower... and who had disappeared in the flames of the explosion of the shuttle, pierced by the Duel's beam. But...

"Kira!" Seren yelled warningly.

"I know!" The Freedom blocked the Duel's slash. The X102 caught the Freedom's fist. "I told you to stop! Do you want to die?!"

"What?!" Joule exclaimed. Suddenly his Shiva railgun and both wrists were slashed by the Independence. He screamed as Kira took out his beam saber too but to his stupefaction, he didn't kill him and only cut his legs. And he was more stunned still when the Independence caught the Duel's midsection and took him away.

"We told you to stop fighting and get out of here! Live if you have something you want to protect and people you want to see." Seren dropped him and as intended, he was caught by one of his allies and taken to safety.

"Why... did they?" Yzak whispered in wonder.

In a certain submarine, the two suitcases controlling the activation of the Cyclops System were opened. The Atlantic Federation and Blue Cosmos executives sat down at the table. It was time. Sutherland and another removed the key they had around their neck. A latch opened in the suitcases and they put the keys in the holes.

"I strongly hope that this sacrifice will bring this war a quick end." The man declared, mirroring almost word for word Chairman Zala's speech at the start of Operation Spitbreak.

"For the preservation of our blue and pure world." Sutherland said. "Three... two... one!" The two turned the keys. And the large array of dish-shaped emitters under the base produced powerful microwaves that quickly spread out, rapidly heating all ammunition supplies and liquids, including the propellant of all machines and the water in the human bodies, making them burst from internal pressure, and eventually destroying even the buildings. Ironically, the effectiveness of that dreadful superweapon was actually increased by the Neutron jammers which contained the microwaves to a smaller area and increased the intensity of the weapon's effects in that particular area.

"Tremendous energy radiation confirmed from within Alaka base!" A ZAFT soldier notified his superior in a submarine. "Why, this is..."

"Cyclops System has been activated!" Sai reported alarmingly. Neumann, Ramius, Kira, and Seren gasped.

"Engines at maximum speed! Evade!" Murrue yelled. The radiation wave expanded, vaporizing everything within its range, objects and people. The EA and ZAFT forces who saw it coming fled as fast as they could but still, many were overtaken. The propulsion of a Guul failed, and Kira caught the hand of the GINN riding it and whose head he had previously shot. He told its pilot to hold on as they escaped together. At the heart of the System, the buildings, the earth itself fell apart and erupted in a huge explosion. Seren thought of all the Earth Alliance soldiers who had been sacrificed by their own organisation, and she thought of all those ZAFT troops, surely over two thirds of their forces, who had been annihilated. The PLANTs were fighting for survival. Even though they had hoped this attack would quiet the EA and give them the leeway they desired... This was not a war, but a genocide... all for the sake of 'victory'... And she gritted her teeth.

"We've been had... by those damn Naturals." Le Creuset commented, controlled anger transpiring from his voice. But Yzak and the submarine captain were too appalled to notice him turn around with a wicked and cynical smile.

The Archangel, skygrasper 001, Freedom, and Independence landed away from the battlefield. Everyone started breathing again. They had made it. They were alive. Kira and Seren quickly got down and helped the ZAFT soldier out of his damaged mobile suit. He was wearing the standard green uniform and looked relatively young, in his early/mid twenties. Kira was begging him to stay awake while Seren was checking his vitals, but she stopped soon, a look of grim and doleful understanding on her face. She grasped the soldier's hand in hers. He looked at the boy.

"Were you... in that mobile suit?"

"Yes."

"Why did you... save me?"

"Because I wanted to."

"And why... do you show such an expression?" He looked at girl.

"Isn't it natural under such circumstances?" She replied. The man squeezed her hand.

"Killing me... might have been quicker... and you wouldn't make... such a face..." He smiled derisively and looked at them both in turn before closing his eyes. Seren felt his hand go limp in hers and they watched him expire. They hadn't been able to save him. The young woman delicately placed the hand she held on the other and averted herself. The two childhood friends cursed. No matter how much power they acquired, it was impossible for them to save everyone. They understood that, and had chosen to return depite knowing what was awaiting them. But even though they understood, and lived with it, surely, they would never be able to accept it.

Meanwhile, Aprilius One was in a state of chaos. Total destruction?! What did that mean?! How could that be?! It was totally ludicrous! What about Carpentaria? In any case, they needed accurate information. Such was notably the state in the government building Athrun had just entered. He was still carrying his suitcase. He looked around and recognised team Commander Yuki who had served as his mentor during his military academy days and who now worked as a close aide of Patrick Zala.

"Athrun Zala! What are you doing here?"

"No, well, more importantly, what's going on? What's this commotion?"

"It seems that Operation Spitbreak has ended in a failure." Yuki answered shocking the boy. "We're yet to receive detailed reports but one initial report is saying total destruction."

"You're kidding!" The Red Uniform exclaimed in disbelief fearing for the life of his last comrade, Yzak, and recalling how the latter had boasted about the achievements he was going to rake in during that operation.

"And I'm afraid I have more bad news for you." The Commander leant in for more confidentiality. People have taken two of the newly developed top-secret mobile suits. And the one who arranged for it was Lacus Clyne. The National Defense Committee is in a state of panic." The mentor said gravely. Utterly appalled, distraught, Athrun's eyes widened. The news had struck him like a knife in the back. He dropped his suitcase, no longer having the strength to hold it.

"No way...! That can't be...! Lacus wouldn't...!" He stammered in sheer disbelief. It was absolutely unthinkable. After everything he had lost, everything he had sacrificed... Nicol was dead, killed by Kira, Kira was dead, killed by him, Seren was gone... after he had killed Kira how could he ask anything of her? How could there be any hope for them? And Dearka who was prisoner, who had been made prisoner by Seren... And now Yzak... Everything had been for the sake of the PLANTs... And Lacus... Lacus who had always loved and bestowed her radiance and warmth on the PLANTs had turned her back on her nation? Lacus who had always wished for peace, who understood him, his pain, who was his last precious friend, his last refuge, his last safeguard... Lacus who had promised Seren to always be his ally, no matter what... had betrayed him?! She had gone too? He was alone?

* * *

What is strength? Is it truly the power to fight? Can fighting truly keep or lead to peace? We did not know. But unable to do anything else, we kept fighting and reached for higher strength. We embraced the possibility of losing everything as we searched for a future. To choose any other path was unacceptable. Until our unfading feelings are sent out, we'll keep going.

* * *

**Author's note: Whether you read one or several of my stories, you can vote for the one you look forward to the most on the poll (at the top of my profile page). It would help me organize a priority list :p Also thanks to those who reviewed, especially Muito :) **

**Now, it seems there are people who want to comment but don't know what to say, so for those who are interested, there are some tips on my profile ;) .  
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	34. Reason to fight

**Phase-34: Reason to fight**

"What are you doing?! Have Gibraltar send reinforcements as well! Unmanned scout planes won't do! What we need now are details!"

"I wasn't told that! Where did you hear that?!" There were only such words of panic that reached Athrun's ears as he was on his way to his father's office.

"Excuse-me." He entered and saluted before noticing that his parent was already meeting people, two members of the National Defense Committee accompanied by three soldiers. They reported that it seemed that the Cyclops System had been used. They had found an enormous array under the base. Athrun stepped forward. The Chairman asked about Le Creuset. They hadn't been able to contact him yet but they had been told he was safe. Patrick ordered to have him give them a detailed report of the incident. Another member of the National Defense Committed entered and announced that a number of Council members, including Eileen Canaver, had stormed the assembly hall, demanding an explanation. They were calling for an emergency Supreme Council meeting on this issue. Athrun worriedly gazed at his father, imagining what he must be going through being pressed on all sides.

"In any case, have the remaining troops hurry to Carpentaria! I want to see everyone stay in control! What we need right now is coolheaded, objective reporting on the situation!" The Supreme Council Chairman instructed. One saluted and left. "Where have the Clynes gone?" He questioned. But they didn't know yet. It appeared that Clyne had prepared escape routes. It might take longer to find him than expected. He clenched his fists. "Get the Justice department on it. Restrain all council members who were close to Clyne, beginning with Canaver!" This order stunned everyone. Wasn't that going too far? Patrick Zala slammed his hand on the table, scaring his subordinate. "Lacus Clyne has helped spies! Her father fled with her and is yet to be found! And information on Operation Spitbreak's target was leaked! Even a child could figure what really happened here! Clyne betrayed us! Yet Canaver and the others are pressuring **_me_** about this?! They're the ones to blame! No, they're the ones hiding the culprits! That's the only possible explanation for all this!" Before that logic, the subaltern folded and obeyed. He left with the soldiers. The chairman slumped back on his chair and rubbed his forehead. He looked very tired.

"Father..." Athrun said concernedly as he approached.

"What did you just call me?" Patrick glared at him. His voice, tone, eyes were so cold and sharp. That rebuff shocked his son.

"I-I'm sorry, Your Excellency Chairman Zala!" The boy straightened up and saluted again. He understood the situation but still couldn't believe that Lacus had been assisting spies. It was inconceivable... However, there was no way the Chairman would accuse such a popular idol without proof. He showed him images caught by the surveillance camera at the military factory. The Freedom and Independence had been stolen right after this shot. A shot that clearly showed Lacus Clyne standing before the Freedom and Independence and accompanied by two youths in Red Uniforms. Regardless of what Athrun wanted to believe, these were the facts.

"Lacus Clyne is no longer your fiancée. The official announcement hasn't been made yet but she's being treated as a fugitive sought after for treason. Your next mission is to recapture the stolen X08A Independence and X10A Freedom and eliminate the pilots and all the persons and facilities believed to have come in contact with the pilots." The man ordered. Athrun gasped at such thoroughness. Normally you wouldn't need to even erase the people and facilities. "You shall receive the X09 Justice at the arsenal and begin your mission as soon as preparations are complete. If it is impossible to capture them... completely destroy the Freedom and Independence." Chairman Zala commanded. His son was voicing his surprise and incomprehension when someone entered. "Those machines, X10A Freedom, X09A Justice, and X08A Independence... are equipped with Neutron jammer Cancellers." He explained with stern and forbidding eyes.

"N-jammer cancellers?! Impossible!" Athrun exclaimed. The PLANTs knew the horror of nuclear weapons. Since Junius 7, it had always been considered an abomination, a taboo, something they must never touch. Then... "Why did you build such things?! The PLANTs made the decision to abandon all nuclear weaponry!"

"Now we need it, in order to win this war! We need that energy!" The Chairman justified his decision. For the sake of victory, he would not hesitate to dirty his hands. He could easily trample on principles and lives. "Your mission is very important! Give it every effort!"

At the arsenal, Athrun and Yuri Amalfi were watching the progress of the final adjustements on the Justice. Nicol loved Lacus' songs very much. The teen apologised; if it weren't for him, Nicol wouldn't have...

"No, it's alright. I'm sorry too. I do understand. This is war after all. And you did take revenge."

"Well..." Athrun hung his head and closed his eyes. Right, he had avenged Nicol's death... by killing Kira, his best friend, and throwing his chance with the person he loved, because she cared so much about Kira. Now he had lost everyone. He couldn't rejoice. And pain was etched deep into his features.

"However, when many youngsters like you and Nicol are in the battlefield sacrificing themselves, how could anyone betray you?! That angers me more than anything! I don't want any more sacrifices! That's why we agreed to equip the latest models with N-jammer cancellers! Should this fall into the hands of the Earth forces, they'd be more than happy to begin using nuclear weapons again! We must stop that at all costs!" Yuri said through gritted teeth, trying to keep his anger and grief from exploding. Athrun was thinking of Lacus, always so gentle, warm, caring, he was thinking of that day a nuclear missile had hit Junius 7, killing so many people, including his mother, and he was remembered the time when Lacus had prevented Commander Le Creuset from battling Seren and Kira. "I'm counting on you, Athrun." The council member and father of the precious friend he could not protect pleaded, entrusting his hopes to him... Athrun silently stared at the Justice. That Justice fueled by that ignominious energy... Justice... was it nothing more than revenge?

In Alaska, most of the crew of the Archangel had come down on the land to witness this miracle with their own eyes. Kira was alive! And Seren was with him! She had actually found him! They uttered sounds of shock, disbelief or amazement as the two Coordinators walked down to them and stopped before Ramius and La Flaga. Their friends and a number of members including Tonomura, Chandra, Neumann, and Pal rushed to them and touched them, asking if they were real and not some ghosts, sounding like they were afraid to believe and hope. The MS pilots reassured them. They were all so glad they were alive. But while they were rejoicing, La Flaga had a question that needed to be addressed, however reluctantly.

"Were you with ZAFT?" He was referring to their red pilot suits, the same as their ZAFT prisoner. That scared Kuzzey, Sai, and Miriallia.

"Yes." They asserted. Milly and Sai looked sad. "But we're not ZAFT soldiers. And we're no longer with the Earth Forces either." This surprised everyone. Seren added one could say they were officially deserting. Anyway it seemed they should talk things over first. There were many things both sides wanted to know. But first, what should be done about about those machines? "If you mean maintenance and resupply, there's no need for that right now. They're equipped with a Neutron jammer canceller."

"You mean it's fueled with nuclear energy?"

"Where did you get that?!"

"It IS fueled with nuclear energy. That's why we cannot let them fall in the hands of the Earth Alliance, no matter what, in order to avoid another tragedy. And that's why if you're asking for data on them we'll have to decline and leave. If you attempt to steal them, we'll protect them from you even if we must fight you to do so." Seren warned them softly but firmly. It was clear she – they – didn't want the situation to boil down to that, and it was just as clear that they were ready to do exactly as she had said. The captain muttered their names, surprised by their resolve.

"They're our responsibility; we were entrusted with them." Kira explained. Ramius agreed to their conditions and gave her word that they would not touch these machines. She turned and repeated the order for everyone to hear. The childhood friends smiled gratefully and thanked her, relaxing a little.

The Clyne residence was utterly devastated. It had been riddled with bullet holes, all its windows and glass panels shattered, the garden ravaged, and everything that was standing was broken down, even the trees, stairs and garden walls. Not a single piece of furniture had escaped. Everything that could be destroyed was destroyed. The people had clearly taken their rage out on things in a vengeance. Because they had once loved the Clyne family so much, especially Lacus, their wrath and sense of betrayal was just as great. Athrun was in what remained of the conservatorium, looking at the toppled furniture and torn mattresses. He walked in the once perfectly clean and beautiful garden where he had strolled with Lacus. Suddenly, he heard a noise in the bushes that startled him. He sharply turned around, his hand reaching in his jacket for his firearm. However, only Pink-chan, although slightly blackened, came out and hopped towards him. He relaxed and tried to catch the robot that escaped back to the ruined rose garden. The boy was running after it when Haro bounced to him and would have hit his face had he not caught it.

Athrun stared sadly at the trampled flowers. Then he spotted movement but before he could react, something jumped from the briar and stuck itself against his face, making him drop haro. He pried the robotic squirrel off his face. He looked, greatly surprised, at Chacha. That was really him! Why was he here?! It was impossible! Or... was Seren here too? He sharply shook his head in denial. No, it couldn't be... but then what was Chacha doing here?! _"Kira is still alive, and I'll be searching for him myself." _ Again, he vehemently rejected that thought and pushed it away. Even if Seren was or had been here, that didn't mean Kira was alive. It was impossible... because... anyway, he had to concentrate on the problem at hand... Lacus and Seren were friends... Seren was a pilot of the Earth Alliance... Was Seren the spy Lacus helped?! No! Seren would never allow the Earth Alliance to use nuclear energy again! She knew what that energy did to his family... so... Damn! What did Lacus do?! What was Seren doing here?! He gazed at the white rose in Chacha's paw. It seemed to have miraculously survived the destruction. He remembered Lacus telling him that these flowers were from the first theater where she had sung in public. They were commemorative flowers. The squirrel slipped out of his hand and jumped onto his other arm, hiding in the sling. Haro hopped, and Athrun caught it. The boy looked down hesitatingly for a moment before his decision was taken. He dashed away.

As the maintenance staff was perplexedly staring at the Freedom and Independence, a meeting was taking place on the bridge. Kira and Seren had once more donned their Earth Alliance uniforms. The lieutenant commanders and Coordinators had filled each other in on the happenings since that battle in the Marshall Islands.

"So that was the plan?" Kira summed up.

"Most likely." La Flaga answered.

"And we weren't told a thing about it." Ramius added.

"Well, guess it isn't that surprising coming from that bunch." Seren sighed... and apologized after having seen the captain's expression. "Anyway, I get that they wanted to get rid of all bothers and alter the power struggle in the Earth Alliance in their favor but they should have been aware of ZAFT's attack on Alaska for some time in order to prepare that thing under the base. That means a high rank in ZAFT actually betrayed the PLANTs. It's a bit hard to believe, but..." She remembered Eileen Canaver telling Siegel Clyne that Patrick had deceived them about the target of the Spitbreak Operation. "Using, deceiving, and betraying are not reserved to the Earth Alliance..." She hung her head.

"It's the same thing with the PLANTs." Kira concurred with a pained and angry expression, having recalled the same thing. "So what does the Archangel... what do you all plan to do from here on?" He asked. But no clear answer came. They didn't know either. Due to the N-jammers and magnetic fields, communications couldn't be established. Even if they went to Panama, they couldn't expect a warm welcome since they knew too much and they'd be treated as deserters for having left the frontline without orders. Only court-martial awaited them if they returned to the Atlantic Federation.

"It's becoming more difficult to remember what we're fighting for." Murrue voiced everyone's thoughts.

"What do you believe one should be fighting against to end all this, Murrue-san?" The Freedom's pilot questioned. "Whatever it is, I believe we must begin fighting against it."

"Then, shouldn't we all go to Orb for now? More like it's our only acceptable option, isn't it? If you can't return to the Earth Alliance where you're most likely to face execution, then you can only go to a neutral country. In that case Orb is the most evident choice. I'm sure I don't need to tell you why." Ledford suggested. Indeed, that was the most realistic option distance-wise. They also needed to repair the ship and again Orb was the best option in that regard. There were Kira's, and notably Seren's ties to that country, as well as the other children. And, albeit quite reluctantly, Orb did help them... when they were chased by ZAFT and for their pilots' rescue...

La Flaga and Ramius were alone in her office were discussion the ship's future course of action. And they were arriving at the same conclusion as Seren. They had wanted to try thinking of other alternatives with a cool head but it appeared like there were none after all. Also, those kids had really changed...

Seren returned to her room and looked around. Nothing had changed. Everything was where she had left them. It felt so weird. There was no longer that familiarity from back then. It was almost like she was in someone else's room. She slumped on the bed and lied down. But soon, Milly came in, asking how she was doing, if she was properly acclimatizing herself again... No one had touched her stuff. The dark haired girl sat up. It wasn't like before after all. She had changed, the people here had changed, the atmosphere had changed... because of what had happened to them on their way, because of what happened in Alaska, in the PLANTs... because people who should be here were not... Miriallia hung her head, a very sorrowful expression on her face. Seren asked about Flay and Badgiruel.

"They were transferred in Alaska. La Flaga-shousa was too but he came back. I don't know what happened to them."

"I see..." The Coordinator looked down, clenching her fists. Flay's absence... was it good or was it bad? She didn't know. Had Flay started changing too? What were her feelings now? And what were Kira's feelings? A proper talk would be good... but was it even possible? Was she still alive? And even if she was alive, could she reasonned with? Or was she as self-absorbed and engulfed in her grief, hatred and revenge as before? Seren had also noticed the romance that had started budding between Kira and Lacus. And her own heart supported Lacus... And what about Badgiruel? And there was someone else missing... someone whose absence weighed so heavily on their hearts... "Miriallia... about Tolle... I..." She stammered. Milly's eyes widened, as if she had suddenly been stabbed. But then she saw Seren trembling.

"You're an idiot. I'm so glad you and Kira came back... I'm so glad you're both alright..." Haw tightly hugged her friend. Seren hugged her back. And when she felt Milly shaking and heard her sobbing, she squeezed her even tighter. That was the only thing she could do. After a time, Miriallia calmed down. They decided to go to the cafeteria together.

In his room, Kira looked at the cardbox where his belongings were to be stored away. He then picked something on the floor. That was Flay's lipstick. He remembered her expression when she had tried to talk to him, right when he had been about to go into the battle that would destroy his Strike and the Aegis. He had always thought in a corner of his mind that they would talk upon his return. But now that he had returned, she wasn't there... the door opened and Torii flew in and landed on his shoulder. He turned to see Sai.

"It stayed with me while you were gone. I felt uneasy about turning it off." The Natural explained. Kira thanked him. Seren and Mirialllia stopped walking when they heard their voices. And they listened. Sai was going to leave but Yamato held him back and timidly asked about Flay. Argyle recalled how his former fiancée and Kira's 'current' girlfriend had so fiercely denied having ever had feelings for Kira but did not utter a word about it. He didn't want to make his friend suffer any more than he already had. So he said the same as Milly: Flay, Badgiruel, and La Flaga had transferred in Alaska. The Commander had returned but the Lieutenant and Flay had gone.

"I see." The Coordinator looked down.

"I... I was really sad when I heard you were dead! So I'm really glad that you're alive... that you've returned! But why is it always like this with you?! You're different. You're nothing like me! Always... always... always... watching you, I end up feeling totally pathetic!" He cried, his voice containing all his affection, and all his resentment and envy. He had never been able to do a single thing! Not for Flay after she had lost her father, not for Miriallia after she had lost Tolle. He couldn't appease their hate or grief. He couldn't avenge them. The only ones who could do that, who could do something, who had the power...

"But you're different from me in other ways too, right, Sai? I may be able to do things you can't. But you can also do things I can't." Kira replied softly. Seren lowered her head and closed her eyes. He had accepted them all, Sai's feelings, the good ones and the ill ones alike. He had understood that having power didn't necessarily mean having everything you wanted. On the contrary, it often made you lose things and take away. Having power didn't mean having happiness or being always able to protect it. One should never forget the simplest things in life. Miriallia put a hand on her female friend's shoulder. Seren looked up to see her smile, and she could not help but smile too.

Miriallia was a girl, and a Natural. She would be considered weak in many ways. But she was strong. And she was kind. What about superior intelligence? What about superior physical abilities? What did they matter as long as you had important people at your side, people who understood, accepted, and loved you for who you were? Although different, she was quite similar to Lacus. And Seren had always admired her strength and generosity, because she felt unable to show the same impartial kindness and understandingness. Milly was so patient and gentle too and didn't judge people. Unlike her, Seren had an exceedingly small circle of people she considered close since she very sparingly filtered them in, as if she was using a dropper. She was quick to label people, give up on them, retreat in her shell, and bar the way. Although, since she always carefully observed them, she was perfectly fine with revising her judgement and attitude if she noted changes. However, that was still the same as living in an ivory tower. Now she had understood. She had to drop her guard, open herself, venture outside, without fear of being hurt or hurting, be more like Milly, and Lacus. She didn't need the strength to block pain, but the strength to withstand, and accept. Right now she still couldn't do it, but maybe with time, if she strongly desired that change...

Rain was falling heavily in the PLANTs. Athrun arrived at the White Symphony Theater, whose symbol was a rose. The idol had been scheduled to hold a concert here again in the days to come, but of course it had been cancelled. He entered the dark building. It was evidently empty. But in that supposedly deserted place, he could still hear a voice singing. He took out his firearm, climbed the stairs and hid behind a door. The hallway was empty too. He ran to the next door he slightly opened and peeked inside. Lacus was there, on the stage, illuminated by the spotlights, in a décor of ruins, sitting on a rock, dressed for her performance. Even if no spectators came, the people were still in her heart, in her thoughts, and she was singing for them with a clear and beautiful voice full of sadness, and hope and gentleness. The sadness of one who truly wished for a land without conflicts and was unable to find it but still continued to hope and bestowed her blessings upon that land to quench the flames and thirst so that one day it would become a peaceful place. To have peace in the land, you needed to have peace in your heart first. The young man walked down the central aisle. Lacus was still singing. Memories flooded Athrun's mind... when he had nearly kissed Seren and held her in his arms on that deserted island, when he had seen Kira and Seren in Orb, on the other side of that fence that Chacha and Torii had so easily crossed over to him, those two's expressions when they had said he was still their precious friend, when he and Kira had fought, when Nicol had died, and he and Kira had fought again, to the death this time, their hearts filled with hatred and vengeance... and he remembered Seren's tears and frustration...

_"One kills because someone is killed, and then gets killed because he had killed... Just who decided that?! Why should we obey?! Just when is that going to end?! ...just how the hell is that going to bring us closer to peace?!"_

But his thoughts were interruped by Haro who greeted Lacus and hopped from his hand. Chacha left him too, and both joined the songstress. The ball landed on her hands while the squirrel landed on her shoulders. The pink-haired girl greeted and petted them.

"I was certain that you would bring them here. Thank you very much."

"Lacus!"

"Yes?" She answered as Athrun jumped onto the stage and faced her, a distance away.

"How do you explain all that's happened?" He questioned menacingly.

"Didn't you come here because you heard what happened?" She asked back innocently.

"Then is it true that you assisted spies?! Why did you do such a thing?!"

"I never assisted any spies. All I did was give Kira and Seren a new sword. Because that is what they need, and those swords would serve their purpose best in their hands."

"Kira? What are you saying? Kira... he's..." Athrun stammered, his eyes wide. This wasn't possible. He knew better than anyone. But because he knew what Lacus felt for Kira, because of his own feelings regarding his actions, he didn't have the courage or strength to finish his sentence.

"Did you kill him?" The songstress said with firmness and implacability one wouldn't expect from her and that made the young man recoil, shaken. She smiled sweetly and reassuringly. "Do not worry. Kira is alive. Seren has told you so, hasn't she?" She tried to comfort him, appease him. But Chairman Zala's son violently shook his head, still refusing to believe, and he aimed his gun at her, the traitor, his once friend, and former fiancée. He was terrified to believe. He was terrified to have his hopes of him being alive dashed, terrified of having to fight him again if he was indeed alive, terrified of having to kill him again, terrified of Seren's reaction... and of his own... And so, he did all he could, fought with all he's got to shake his doubts off.

"What is the meaning of this, Lacus Clyne?! What are you plotting?!" He threatened her, striving to keep his voice cold and heartless even though he was so visibly upset. His hand was trembling. "Such a crazy story... there's no way he could be alive!" He screamed in frustration and denial, tightly shutting his eyes not to see the calm assurance and conviction of her blue gaze. Her expression grew sad and concerned... for him.

"Reverend Malchio has sent him to me. And then while looking for Kira, Seren stumbled upon the orphanage, and Malchio-san also brought her here. Even while riddled with doubts, she has never ceased to believe, in Kira, and in you, Athrun. Only you two. Kira has mentioned that he had fought you. Can you not believe my words? Then do you believe what you saw with your own eyes? In the battlefield... at the PLANTs, after you returned following a lengthy absence... did you not notice anything?" The girl probed. Athrun slightly lowered his weapon and averted his eyes... what he had seen... the death of more and more of those precious to him as war went on and the cycle of revenge kept spinning... his father's look of utter rejection, that denied him and the world... the nuclear symbol on the new gundams and weapons... they were caught in a spiral of destruction, and even those he had always protected and fought for, the PLANTs, his father... were part of that cycle and increased its power and rotation speed... and would certainly keep doing so until someone stopped them or until everything was destroyed.

"Lacus..."

"What is it that you believe in and fight for? Is it for the medals you receive? For your father's orders?"

"Lacus!" He yelled, begging her to stop cornering him.

"If that is true, Kira and Seren may once more become your enemies." She warned, causing another distraught expression to appear on the soldier's face. She smiled and stood up as cars parked outside and a number of armed men in black came out. "And I as well... Isn't he enough to attest the truth of my words?" Lacus held Chacha aloft. "Seren left that child in my care, asking me to give him to you. Because she knows I can no longer abide by her request to stay by your side. If you decide to become our enemies, please keep him with you. If you decide to talk to her and to Kira, then please take him with you down to Earth, where they are, so you can give him back to her. That was what she wanted me to relay to you. Now, if you've declared me an enemy, will you shoot me? Athrun Zala of ZAFT?" Clyne walked right up to him and the elite pilot quailed before the strength, resolution and fortitude of the unarmed girl in front of him and whose words echoed others he had heard from another girl who was so dear to him, albeit in a different way...

_"If you say that he was your enemy then so I am! There's still one bullet left. Go ahead, shoot! Kill me! Since I am your enemy! Shoot, since that's what you said you'd do, since that's what you must do!"_

But just like he couldn't kill Seren, he couldn't kill Lacus either. They possessed a strength he did not, and against which he was helpless.

"I... I..." He stuttered, trembling. He was utterly lost, desperate, frantic, distressed, miserable... Lacus softened and looked at him worriedly. Suddenly, they heard someone call 'Lacus-sama' in a low warning voice, snapping them back. They looked to see a dozen men dressed in black running down the aisles. Athrun stood protectively before the young woman, his gun aimed at the new comers who were menacing them.

"Thank you very much, Athrun Zala."

"What's that?!"

"As expected of the fiancé. You really know her best. You saved us time. Now please, step away from her. She's a fugitive accused of treason. We have orders to shoot to kill if we need to. Do you intend to defend her despite that?"

"It can't be!" He exclaimed in disbelief. But suddenly, a bullet fired from somewhere among the spectator seats killed one of the executioners. Athrun took advantage of the confusion to throw his weapon and take Lacus to safety. They hid behind a rock among the décor. But while the men in the auditorium before the scene were being sniped, the three on stage were shooting at the teens. However, they were quickly dispatched too.

"Miss Lacus. Are you finished? We really should be going as well." DaCosta said. The idol thanked Athrun and asked Martin about Malchio-sama. He informed her that the Reverend had safely taken off.

"Goodbye, Athrun. Thank you for having brought Pink-chan and Chacha to me. But I must return that little one to you." She extended an arm and the squirrel on her hand took off and perched himself on the boy's shoulder. "Kira and Seren are on Earth. Why don't you talk to your friends and decide later what is it exactly that you want to do?" She suggested and walked away, followed by her bodyguards. Athrun whispered and wistfully stared at Chacha on his shoulder. He touched the little robot.

At the appointed time, Athrun Zala boarded the X09A Justice. His sling had been removed. And unknowingly to everyone else, Chacha was hidden in his clothes. Lacus had asked him what he believed in, what he was fighting for. He had not been able to answer. He no longer knew. But if he ascertained that Kira and Seren were still alive, together, if he listened to their answers, if he knew what they wanted and were planning to do, then maybe... The latches opened.

"Standby for take off. T minus 5. May our Justice have the divine protection of the stars."

"Athrun Zala, Justice, taking off!" And the red unit soared up the conduit and into the stars-filled space.

* * *

Why do we fight so much that we're worn down? When reality is so uncertain, we become afraid to even believe. But even so, we have no choice but to struggle forward. We're having the same dream again. Linked and incomplete, do we search for a reason to fight? We want to deliver the words that can't be erased from within our chests. One day, we want to be compassionate towards people. For whose sake are they, our lives?

* * *

**Author's note: just a quick but heartfelt thank you to those who favorited this story and subscribed to it :) and to the reviewer too, although if it's not too much trouble I'd like them to tell WHY they like this story, what parts they prefered... and things like that ^^ **


	35. The wildfire of war

**Phase-35: The wildfire of war**

Escorted by Colonel Ledonir Kisaka, the Archangel entered the hidden facility of Onogoro Island. At the navigator's seat, Mu looked back at the captain. She seemed to be in a daze. Uzumi, Tobias, Rayner, Cagalli, Simmons, Makabe and other assistants watched the ship docking. Cagalli dashed. Rayner smiled and followed. She went in the ship. As she was going to board the elevator Rayner pulled her back. The doctor and another soldier were pushing a stretcher. The gravely injured man required immediate care that could not be provided on the ship. The two went in and came out at another level. The girl darted again. Then she caught a glimpse of Kira. She called him, ran after him and tackled him in a bear hug as he turned around, surprising him.

"You damn fool!" Her voice quivering from the emotion, she punched his chest with the side of her fist. She raised herself a little and stammered, her eyes tearing up. "I thought you were dead! You jerk!" She cried, sobbing. The boy apologized with a soft smile. "You're really alive?"

"I'm alive. I've returned."

"Hm? Oh, Cagalli! You came over! What are you doing? Why are you crying and being so emotional? I told you Kira was alive so you should have expected that. I'm much more shocked by the fact that you have so little trust in me. Do you have any idea how much it pains mWAAAHH! Ouch!" Seren's all too obviously teasing rant was cut short when Cagalli changed target and tackled her and hit her too.

"Who'd normally believe you?! You... your words... you're all too unbelievable!" The princess was clearly meaning that in each and every sense of the word.

"Cagalli..." Seren started, sounding very touched. "You should really get rid of that habit of tackling people and crying... you'll get scolded for your lack of decency." She chided again. Just then, Uzumi-sama, accompanied by Tobias, arrived and scolded her. She apologized dejectedly. The adults left in direction of the bridge. "See, told you so..." The brunnette bragged with a smile full of light.

"You're really unbelievable..." Right, she was incorrigible. Cagalli was sighing but smiling too. Rayner, who had stayed a little distance away to let the three children reunite, approached saying that HE had always believed Seren. "That's because you always dote on your family members, and especially Seren. You're too subjective to be credible so that doesn't count." The blonde girl shot back.

"Oh my, do you want me to dote on you too? Even more than I dote on Seren?" The young man grabbed her hand and helped her up, pulling her to him with a provocative smile.

"I-I didn't say that!" She retorted with her cheeks cutely flushed. Kira was rather embarrassed by this scene but his childhood friend was more like 'it's-started-again' and still finding those two really sweet and amusing.

"No need to be shy or anxious, I'll take veeeeery good care of you..." Rayner cupped her face and leant really close until the princess smacked his head.

"Stop joking! Let's go!" And Cagalli angrily stormed away, still redder than a tomato.

"Rayner, you should be more mindful of the time and place, and don't tease Cagalli too much." Seren advised.

"It can't be helped. Lovingly teasing the pure and innocent is a Ledford trait. Wasn't it exactly what you were doing before I intervened? So being a Ledford too, I don't think you're suited to give that sort of advice."

"That's why I think I am though. The teasers must be careful or they'll be bitten back."

"You were bitten back because you lack experience, subtility, and competency. Also, I want her to bite me back."

"I can't believe you."

"That means you're still too much of a child to understand."

"Whatever."

"Thank you very much for accepting this selfish request of ours." Captain Ramius bowed before Chief Representative Athha.

"Given the circumstances, your crewmembers will be under tight watch for the time being, but please, understand. In any case, they should be able to catch up on some much needed rest." Uzumi-sama explained compassionately. The female Lieutenant Commander thanked him again. "Due to the destruction of the Earth Forces' Headquarters, this world is once again shifting in a new direction. Once you get some rest, I shall give you a rundown on the latest news. You shall hear for yourselves and be left with a lot to think about. You may even ask yourselves why you put on that uniform in the first place."

Sai, Milly and Kuzzey were finishing their meal at the cafeteria. Buskirk was anxious about what was going to happen to them from here on. They were no longer part of the EA military, right? Since the Archangel had left the federation... But Sai dashed his hopes: they were deserters under enemy fire, a major crime under martial law. Then Kuzzey produced his discharge permission that he had taped back together and that had been given to him when they had joined up with the 8th Fleet on orbit, over three months ago. Back then he had wanted to help and be cool like the others but he was different after all. He couldn't throw it away, thinking that maybe he'd need it one day. He had wanted a back up. Sai stood up and left. Kuzzey called him fearfully but his friend was just going to the toilets. Miriallia silently went to return her tray and thank the cook. But then she noticed that there was still a tray full of food that nobody had come to get and inquired about it. It was the prisoner's meal. Even though he had asked people to go give it to him, no one did. She started to leave and paused, recalling Elsman's expression when he had told her he wasn't the one who had killed Tolle. And after a moment of hesitation, she returned inside.

Cagalli, Seren and Kira were discussing in front of the gundams the two had returned with. The blonde one was surprised they had decided to come back and fight after what had happened. They might be... have been friends, but Kira killed Athrun's friend, and Athrun killed Tolle. There was no way around it, for all of them. But to think they were childhood friends with that ZAFT guy...

"Athrun and Seren have always been the strong, reliable ones and they'd always help me."

"It's not that we're particularly strong, it's just that you're particularly weak and scatterbrained." Seren replied bluntly, making Kira laugh embarrassedly.

"Why did you stay with the Earth Forces, even after knowing you had to fight him? I mean, you guys are Coordinators... and especially you, Seren... with what happened to Helen-san, and you've got family in the PLANTs too... so it seems really foolish to stay, knowing you'd even have to fight that guy on top of that... since about him, you... hum..." Cagalli wondered, sounding very concerned, particularly when she'd recall that time when she and Rayner had saved those two following Kira's 'death'. The dark haired girl sighed.

"We really do get that a lot, don't we?" She looked at Kira with a sad smile. He smiled too. And the princess was struck by their resemblance. She had already noticed a few similarities between their physique, but now their smiles, their expressions, 'aura', like they understood each other without the need to talk.

"We thought... we had to, or everyone would die. Well, Seren was also looking after me. We are Coordinators after all. But the truth is... the honest truth is... I don't think I ever really believed that Athrun would try to kill me, and that I'd try to kill Athrun. And surely, neither did Seren... that she'd try to kill Athrun for having tried to kill me and Tolle."

"But since you've come back, you might have to fight him again... is that really alright?"

"... If that's what he decides to do, then it cannot be helped, can it?" Seren answered after a pause.

Miriallia walked into the prison ward, put down the tray and pushed it into the cell, apologizing for the lateness. People had been squabbling. Before his genuinely surprised expression, she reacted curtly, irritatedly, asking what it was.

"Ah, nothing, I just didn't expect you'd be the one to bring it." Dearka wasn't fazed but as usual he spoke too casually and lacked politeness, causing the CIC officer to reproof him. He apologized and corrected himself but this time was too polite and respectful.

"It's Mirialllia. Not 'you'."

"E-eh? You mean I can call you by your name?" He smirked slightly.

"No!" Milly started leaving.

"Hey!" The prisoner quickly stood up and came against the bars. "What's going on with this ship? Why am I still onboard? It's crazy going into battle while you're still carrying prisoners!"

"I know! But there's nothing we can do about it, is there?"

"Where are we? When are you going to let me out of here?"

"We're in Orb. But we aren't allowed to disembark either. How should I know about you?"

In the Pacific Ocean, the Vosgulov-class carriers dispatched all of their mobile suits for underwater and aerial combat, including Yzak in his Duel. They headed for the Azuero Peninsula on which the Panama Base was located. The Porta Panama mass driver had been constructed by the **U**nited **S**tates of **S**outh **A**merica with the collaboration of the Atlantic Federation. Although in control of that spaceport, the USSA remained an unimportant state for the next decades and didn't take part in the funding of the PLANTs. But in CE 68, the United States of South America, together with the Oceania Union made secret arrangements with the then PLANT Supreme Council chairman Siegel Clyne to covertly exchange shipments of food and manufactured goods, which angered the sponsor nations. When the first Bloody Valentine War began in CE 70, the USSA refused to join the newly formed Earth Alliance, and on February 19 of the same year, the Alliance forces launched an armed invasion of the USSA, and its territory was annexed by the Atlantic Federation.

And now, as an EA base, Panama was attacked by ZAFT. However, a carrier captain voiced his doubts concerning this operation to Commander Le Creuset. Wasn't the homeland demanding a bit too much, asking to destroy Panama with such limited forces? But it couldn't be helped. Unless they disrupted the momentum the Earth Forces had gained in Alaska, Chairman Zala and the PLANTs would find themselves on thin ice. They needed to shut the gate to space and trap those Naturals on Earth. For that reason, they had to crush the Panama mass driver first and foremost.

"What about the Gungnirs?" The captain inquired.

"Everything is proceeding as planned."

"The problem's on our side. Will we be able to take control of the target point before the descent?"

"Everyone swore this battle will be our vengeance. We will succeed." Le Creuset reassured him and returned to his room/office he opened with a card key. Flay was there, sitting on a chair, still in her EA uniform. When she heard him come in she quickly stood up and aimed her gun at him. "The battle is about to begin. Would you like to observe? I'm sorry to drag you around all over the place. But these are orders so it can't be helped." He coolly sat down at his desk.

"Why? Why did you take me?"

"You're already as good as dead, Flay Allster. Back in Alaska, whether I had shot you or let you go, you would have died. Even if you shoot me now, you'll die within moments, shot by the soldiers. If that doesn't suit you, your only other option would be to point that gun at yourself and pull the trigger. The gun is loaded, I presume." He calmy exposed the facts, although one might detect a hint of challenge. The girl started trembling as if struggling, willing herself to pull the trigger, shoot the Coordinator in front of her. He was a hated enemy. And in the same time, missiles fell on the Panama base. The defensive weaponry was activated. Yzak scoffed and destroyed the turrets. The aerial units dropped their bombs while the ZnOs emerged from the sea. "On the battlefield, life is cheap. It's lost in an instant. But still, people fight for their country, for justice. However none of that suits you." The ZAFT officer pondered as he approached Flay who was breathing hard. She lowered her head, shut her eyes and gritted her teeth, frustrated at herself. She couldn't do it after all. So much for her resolve and absolute hatred of Coordinators... "You may be wearing a military uniform but you're no soldier, am I wrong?" He passed her by.

"A Cyclops System? But even if information on the enemy had been leaked, going through with such a plan is rather extreme." Uzumi-sama commented. He was sitting at a table in a conference room, Tobias on his right, and Murrue Ramius opposite him. Mu La Flaga was standing next to the captain of the Archangel while Neumann, Rayner, Cagalli, Kira and Seren were lined up in the back.

"However, it is undeniable that it took out 80% of ZAFT's attacking forces. For the military strategists, it's nothing more than numbers on paper with an added bonus of sacrificing only the unwanted." Representative Ledford deplored those cold calculations. And they could hear the results on TV...

The spokesperson of the OMNI enforcers was declaiming how their defense forces had courageously fought at Alaska right down to the last soldier and that this day, marked by the collapse of JOSH-A, as well as the sorrow associated with it would be forever remembered as a day of infamy. He declaimed that they would never bow to the Coordinators' ways and incriminating those Coordinators for unrightly taking away this peaceful land and safe skies that were their [the Naturals'] home. The sacrifice was immense but they had to overcome this and face their enemy. They had to combine their strengths to fight those arrogant Coordinators in order to protect Earth's safety, peace, and future!

And the TV was showing images of the gaping crater where JOSH-A had been, and horribly wounded people and children being treated by EA soldiers and marches of people against Coordinators. For convenience, they had evidently left out the part saying that they had been the ones who caused the collapse of the Alaska HQ and all those deaths and sacrifices and suffering and that it was ZAFT that had taken the most damage. Well, information manipulation was the basis of propaganda. But even though those at this meeting in Orb understood that, it was still hard to swallow. The Chief Reprensentative informed them that the Atlantic Federation had been pressuring the neutral nations telling them that if they refused to join the Alliance forces, they would be declared enemies. Of course, Orb was no exception.

"As I'm sure you're aware, our nation does not refuse entry to Coordinators. We are one of the few nations that will allow anyone to enter and reside in our country as long as they honor the laws and principles of Orb. We should not be judged by whether or not our genes have been modified." Uzumi-sama continued.

"The only thing accomplished by labeling people as 'Naturals' or 'Coordinators' is to produce friction between people. Cagalli and Rayner are Naturals. Kira and Seren are Coordinators. My late wife was a Coordinator. These are facts that they themselves have no control over." Tobias-sama added.

"We cannot agree with the ways of the Atlantic Federation to label every Coordinator as an evil enemy and attack every one of them without justification. Who's really fighting who? And for what reason?"

"However... although I do understand your point... excuse-me for saying this... but isn't your position just an ideal theory?" La Flaga argued. "It may be ideal... but Coordinators will continue to look down on Naturals, and Naturals will continue to envy Coordinators. That's reality."

"I realize that. Needless to say, it's not as if our nation has no problem of its own. But if we give up on trying to improve things, in the end, we'll have no option but to eliminate one another. At that point, it would be too late to do anything but reflect and regret. Or would you suggest that we should just shut up and let it happen because that's the way of the world? It's up to you what you wish to do with the rest of your lives. If you have problems betraying the uniform you're wearing, I'll take the appropriate steps to allow you to remain in them. You're all young and have valuable skills. Make sure your decision is one you can live with. Make sure you choose the future you truly desire. There's still time."

"How do you view this, Uzumi-sama?" Kira inquired.

"I believe we're no longer in a position where our swords can simply stay on display." And just as the Orb leader said that, Colonel Kisaka burst through the door. He apologised for the interruption, but ZAFT had attacked Panama! The Earth base had been under attack since dawn but he didn't have any detail. The news shocked all those present. Well, now that JOSH-A was gone, Panama and its mass driver had become the core of the Earth Forces. But to attack so soon after their rout in Alaska... Shouldn't they be regrouping and move more cautiously?

"Isn't it BECAUSE of all ZAFT lost in Alaska?" Seren countered. "They're desperate. They want revenge, they wanted to stop the Earth Alliance's momentum and trap them on Earth by destroying their mass driver. If they react too timidly, it'd affect morale. They need to score a huge victory. What worries me is that ZAFT might retaliate in kind and use a superweapon like the Atlantic Federation did..." Then her eyes widened in horror. "...And if they succeed... then the only mass driver left will be... Orb's Kaguya mass driver..." She trailed off, making the others gasp too. "And... the Earth Alliance will stop at nothing to get their hands on it... No, surely they'll try to reclaim Victoria too... but... If this war becomes a contest of genocides until complete annihilation of one side... then..." The girl trembled, clenching her fists until her knuckled turned white and her nails dug into her palms. How far must they go to achieve victory?! How much blood needed to be spilt until they were satisfied?! Kira stared at her and looked down.

The assault on Panama continued. But like in Alaska, The Earth Alliance's conventional weaponry could do little to slow the advance of ZAFT's mobile suits. The Naturals only had gun turrets, tanks, and hidden mines. And the damage they caused was nothing compared to the losses they suffered. Some soldiers viciously fought to the bitter end, howling against the 'monsters from space', others tried to escape with their lives, and all were ruthlessly killed. Those losses were reported to the HQ. The enemy had arrived at the secondary line of defense. They were losing contact with their groups one by one. The Rear Admiral who commanded the base ordered that the 13th Autonomous corps were brought out but his aide was unsure.

"That's the whole purpose of having mobile suit corps! We'll show them what we're made of!"

However, it was also time for ZAFT to unleash their trump card. The Laurassia-class ships on orbit released their Gungnirs. In the Vosgulov submarine, Flay was sitting on a chair, crying silently, her gun still in her hand. On land, ZAFT units met with unexpected resistance. Mobile suits ressembling the Strike but with a much simpler design... and mass produced. Unable to fly or equip the Striker packs, its armament consisted of a single head-mounted "Igelstellung" 75mm multi-barrel CIWS gun, a single beam saber for close combat, and a 57mm beam rifle with an attached grenade launcher for ranged combat and a shield for defense. The suit did not have expensive PS armor and only the shield was anti-beam coated. Although it lowered its defensive capability, it extended its duration time. It might not be very powerful but it served its purpose well and efficiently culled enemy MS.

However, since they could not fly, the GAT-01 Strike Daggers received the aerial support of the GAT-03 Star Blasters. Although mass produced too, their numbers were significantly limited compared to the Strike Daggers because of their higher capacities. It had the same basic design as the Blast, but omitted the ability to use the armament and mobility packs. It had been designed with mobility and manoeuvrability in mind for aerial, ground, and space combat. Only the cockpit was equipped with Phase Shift armor as a cost-cutting measure and the shield was anti-beam coated. It had the benefit though of improving the suit's energy efficiency and combat endurance. The weaponry had been reduced and consisted of two head-mounted "Igelstellung" 75mm CIWS, two beam sabers, a 57mm beam rifle with an attached grenade launcher and a shield. It was also equipped with a 120mm anti-ship Vulcan gun and a cluster bombs launcher. Performance-wise, it was lower than the original X216, about the level of a DINN.

Le Creuset was initially surprised by the appearance of those mobile suit corps but this worked in ZAFT's favor after all. They too would fall prey to the Gungnirs along with the rest of their forces. Even if they had an EMP shielding system, it wasn't going to be sufficient. The Earth Alliance units put quite a decent fight against the invaders but the Duel piloted by Yzak was still far out of their reach. Large machines fell from the sky and landed at their appointed places, protected by the GINNs. They were bigger than mobile suits. One unit approached and pushed a button, opening a panel. It typed the code while the ally was destroyed. The top half split and slid up, revealing a sphere with holes. The Coordinator set the twelve canisters inside and pressed another button. In 180 seconds, the Gungnir would activate. His comrades killed, he was attacked. He defended the system with his life. Just as he was pierced through, the countdown reached zero, and the system was set off. The Gungnir detonated, producing a powerful electromagnetic pulse. The EMP wave spread, disabling all electronic systems without the slightest harm to any plant or other living creature. The Strike Daggers and Star Blasters, without adequate EMP shielding due to lack of time caused by the pressing need of those mobiles suits on the battlefield, were also affected, same for the systems at the Panama headquarters. The output of the EMP created a current so strong inside the Mass Driver that it broke the whole structure apart.

All Earth Alliance machinery now utterly ineffective, the ZAFT soldiers ran amok, unleashing all of their hatred and thirst for revenge. A rain of missiles fell down the facilities, blowing the command center. Laughing maniacally, they shot down the Earth Forces MS corps that had become sitting ducks. Even the troops who surrendered and came out of the tanks or hiding places were brutally and mercilessly slaughtered.

"Serves you right, you damn Naturals and your toys!"

"This is for Hanna who was killed in Alaska!"

"Who wants bones of Naturals?!"

Screams of terror and dying men echoed, almost covering the sounds of the mobile suits firing. This wasn't war. This was a massacre. From his observation point, Yzak in his Duel was overlooking the fallen base. He was one of the exceedingly few who had decided not to participate in the purge.

"What's so fun about firing at targets that aren't even moving?" He wondered with disgust. This was nothing more than a mass execution without glory or honor. He understood their desire for revenge and their need to try and exorcise their rage... but succumbing to one's basest instinct, losing themselves, their pride...

"Now, this shall signify the beginning of a new chapter..." Le Creuset mused.

Seren walked in the prison yard and stopped before the captive's cell. He hadn't expected any guest.

"I've wanted to talk to you, Dearka Elsman." The girl smiled.

"Eh? I'm flattered that such a cute girl came all the way to visit me." He tried to reply coolly but he could hide neither his uneasiness nor his curiosity. Something about her seemed different from Miriallia and that other girl.

"Well, Athrun has been in your care all this time. Or should I say it was the opposite? You were always charging forward, sometimes quite recklessly, forcing Nicol and Athrun to cover for you and the Duel's pilot before finally still being incapacitated by me or Kira." She replied naturally. Dearka bolted upright and stuck his face to the bars of his cell.

"You know Athrun and Nicol?! Wait... incapacited by you... who are you?!"

"I am Seren Ledford, a Coordinator like you. I was the pilot of the Blast. By the way, sorry for capturing you back then but you didn't really leave me any choice. And now I pilot the ZGMF-X08A Independence." The female introduced herself.

"Seren Ledford..." The prisoner repeated, remembering that time on Orb's borders when he and his friends had cornered the Archangel. "ZGMF... why would you pilot a ZAFT-manufactured unit?! And why the hell would a Coordinator be in the Earth Alliance?!" He suddenly exclaimed. Seren unfastened the mini photo-album at her neck and gave it to him. He looked and was shocked to see pictures of Athrun and her together. They were also some where they were with a brown-haired guy he didn't know. No... he had seen both that guy and Seren in Orb, when those robotic pets had come to Athrun! Then...

"I am also Athrun's childhood friend. I've come to ask you to make a choice. For that, I will tell you everything you need to know." She said gravely. And Dearka listened as she told him about Kira, and herself, and their relations to Athrun, about what had happened in Heliopolis, why she and Kira had to stay and defend the Archangel despite being Coordinator's and Athrun's friends. She told him about their meeting with Lacus Clyne and the friendship that had budded, then the meeting with the Desert Tiger on Earth, what had happened in Orb (although she didn't mention the feelings she and Athrun had for each other) while stressing the fact that this cooperation with the EA for the construction of the Archangel and GAT series had not been the will of the Orb nation or government but the independent act of a few individuals. There had been those two fated battles when Tolle and Nicol died. She had spoken to Athrun then and gone to search for Kira, found him in Lacus' care. And she informed him of her and Kira's resolution when they had learned the true target of Operation Spitbreak. "Lacus and Siegel-sama entrusted a sword to each of us, along with their hopes. And we returned to Earth. In Alaska, we helped the Archangel escape but the Cyclops System was activated, wiping out 80% of ZAFT's forces." At this Dearka almost interrupted her but he closed his mouth, gritted his teeth and curled his fists. He was shaking. Seren waited until he hung his head and calmed down enough for her to continue. "We deserted the Earth Alliance and fled to Orb where we were granted sanctuary. The Atlantic Federation sacrificed the Eurasian soldiers and other unwanted. Well, in the case of the Archangel, it was certainly because the crew covered for us Coordinators and truly saw Kira and me as comrades. We also determined that such an array couldn't have prepared unless the information had been leaked to them long ago. And now, ZAFT has attacked Panama. Fueled by their anger and thirst for revenge, they should succeed in destroying the mass driver. We're on a downward spiral. The two sides have started using superweapons. ZAFT equipped the Freedom and Independence with N-jammer cancellers."

"N-jammer cancellers?! The PLANTs have started using nuclear energy?!" Elsman was incredulous. To him too, nuclear energy was a taboo he thought his people would never transgress.

"But I don't think they can do that on Earth yet. They surely have other superweapons they can use though. Orb and the other neutral nations received an ultimatum: if they don't join the Earth Alliance, they'll be deemed enemies. Orb allows entry to Coordinators and doesn't judge people by their genes. Although you knew that already since you guys infiltrated that country when you were chasing us. Orb only wishes for peace and coexistence. That's why Uzumi-sama does everything in his power to maintain our neutrality and solve things diplomatically. But with Panama destroyed and the Kaohsiung and Victoria bases under ZAFT control, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Earth Forces came to target Orb's Kaguya mass driver and our technology. Well, you'll surely be released by that point though." Ledford concluded. The young man seemed to think for a time.

"Why are you telling me all that? If I repeat everything you've told me to ZAFT..."

"I trust you. I think. I believe... or hope that despite everything, you consider Athrun as an important comrade, a friend, that you have enough consideration for Lacus and Siegel Clyne, and you won't do or say anything to cause them harm. And it seems that you've already started to understand a few things about Naturals... and warmed up to at least one of them." The girl smiled mischievously. "Had things been different, we might have been friends. So maybe it's not too late. Maybe we can still be friends. Because I have people precious to me on both sides, I've understood that there are only humans. Humans who are afraid, who cry... Coordinators, and Naturals... we're all just scared because it's so difficult to understand each other, because believing demands too much strength. So I just want you to keep watching and listening, and make your own opinion. Do all Naturals truly deserve to be wiped out?" She questioned rhetorically. Elsman looked down at a picture of Tolle and Miriallia.

"That's..."

"'If we give up on trying to improve things, in the end, we'll have no option but to eliminate one another. At that point, it would be too late to do anything but reflect and regret. Or would you suggest that we should just shut up and let it happen because that's the way of the world? It's up to you what you wish to do with the rest of your lives. If you have problems betraying the uniform you're wearing, I'll take the appropriate steps to allow you to remain in them. You're all young and have valuable skills. Make sure your decision is one you can live with. Make sure you choose the future you truly desire. There's still time.' That's what Uzumi-sama said. Well then, I'll be going." Seren smiled and walked away.

"And your album?!"

"You can keep it for a little while longer." She waved without looking back.

"Wait!" He called her. The female stopped and looked back at him. "Ah, hum... about you and Athrun..."

"Yes?"

"Ah, no... nothing..."

Rayner was saying goodbye to his parents. Feeling that the wind would soon fan the flames of war towards Orb, they were going to space, to the paradise they had created for such an occasion: Ama-no-Iwato, the _Heavenly Rock Cave_. In mythology, it was the cave in which Amaterasu, in grief and fury, had hidden after her brother Susanoo had gone on a rampage, killing one of her attendant and destroying her rice fields. In this Cosmic Era, it was a self-sufficient neutral colony hidden within a large asteroid able to accommodate a large number of people, both Naturals and Coordinators who could not or did not want to be in Orb, go to ZAFT, or other countries on Earth. Officially it was not affiliated to any nation although it was part of the Ledford's private property and the staff was employed by them. However, they had received significant and secret back up from Uzumi Athha, as well as Siegle Clyne. The colony was independent and included a small factory for military purposes to build what they needed for self-defense. If Orb was to be attacked, they had to arrange for many civilians to be transferred over there.

"Make sure you protect our princesses. Support them well, with all you've got." Charles said.

"I know." His son replied. Althought they had grown more open, both Cagalli and Seren acted tough and tended to hide their emotions behind rebelliousness or cold pragmatism but they were much more sensitive than they appeared.

"If that time comes, remind Seren that we'll always be her family, no matter what." Heaven added gravely.

"I strongly hope that this time won't come and I won't need to do that."

"So do we. Take care."

"Same to you. Be safe." The three embraced.

Kira and Seren were at the hangar, gazing at their gundams as they often did. They were joined by Mu La Flaga who asked them if they really intended to fight, even if they were alone. He had been watching over them all this time. He had seen how much fighting had made them suffer.

"We'll just do what we can, what we want to do." The boy answered. His childhood friend had gone back to staring at her unit. "We don't want things to stay like this. And we don't think anything will be solved at this rate." The two Coordinators were called by Cagalli who came running towards them. Erica Simmons was asking for them. She had something to show them.

The blonde princess led Captain Ramius, La Flaga, Kira and Seren to the Morgenroete factory where Chief Simmons was waiting with Rayner.

"I thought I should return them to you now that you've come back." Erica said. The Coordinators gasped when they saw the Strike and the Blast. "After repairing them, I installed the OS that you created for us. I figured they'd be piloted by someone else this time." So now they could be piloted by Naturals...

"I'll pilot this!" Cagalli exclaimed suddenly and eagerly, surprising the others. "Oh, if that's okay with you of course." She tempered her statement, turning to Murrue.

"No, you can't." Mu asserted firmly.

"Eh? Why?!" The princess whined.

"Because **I'M **piloting it." The MA pilot replied to the girl's distress.

"Shousa!" The ship captain exclaimed, surprised.

"That title no longer applies, does it? Murrue-san." Mu-san smiled.

"Then I'll be taking the Blast." Rayner claimed.

"Ah! Rayner! No fair, getting a head start!" Cagalli complained angrily.

"The slowpokes who let their guard down have no place on the battlefield." He teased, using the words she would have used had she been in his position. A small knowing smirk appeared on Seren's lips. She suspected that her although her cousin teased the woman he liked like a grade-school kid, his true motive was to keep her out of harm's way as much as possible, and there weren't as many places as dangerous as the front line of a battlefield, especially given her personality. She needed to act, to stand with her comrades, to fight for what she wanted. She was also a hothead with a narrow vision. And he had heard she had been shot twice already in a Skygrasper, and how dangerously she had acted in the Lybia desert. He really couldn't leave her alone after all. She always made him sick with worry. He had to protect her.

And so, Mu in the Strike was facing Kira in the Freedom and Rayner in the Blast was facing Seren in the Independence. The four had training swords in hand.

"I can't help thinking it's still too soon for you to be sparring with us." Kira voiced his opinion.

"That's right. Please consider the gap in our experience as MS pilots." Seren concurred.

"Quiet! Don't get cocky! Here we go!" Rayner yelled, charging.

"Kids shouldn't underestimate adults!" La Flaga did the same. The match started. The Coordinators blocked the swords with their shields.

* * *

Yesterday was threatening as it was, but tomorrow is coming. We can't bear to keep seeing that which fights on without end. If we live only to die, why do we wish to become strong? Will we be able to forgive 'sin' someday? In the depths of people are only nightmares from which it is difficult to be saved. We are beginning to understand the burdens of life. We must rise to end this spiral of despair.

* * *

**Author's note: for those who read the chapter 34 during the 10 first days, I made a mistake. You must have understood that it was Miriallia who had a small circle of friends and labelled people, but I meant to say it was Seren. I had done some modifications around here and posted before properly rereading. Sorry about that :( I edited it so now it's fine. **

**Also, it's just a detail, but for those who were curious about it Seren's pilot suit is the same as the guys' only it's a light maize yellow instead of blue (for Kira) or magenta (for La Flaga). Well, at first I wasn't sure what color to pick, but still, I can't believe I forgot to mention that for so long :s Sorry about that too.**


	36. Reaching flames

**Phase-36: Reaching flames**

"This is a total embarrassment!" A man yelled in a dark meeting room before the images of the destruction of Panama playing on the large screen. "Our success with JOSH-A is irrelevant now that we've lost Panama!" This meeting of the top officials of the Atlantic Federation was taking place in a hidden underwater base. Natarle Badgiruel had also been taken to this base after Alaska.

"Now that our supply route is gone, our lunar base will quickly run out of supplies! When that happens, how are we supposed to conterattack?!" Someone concurred.

"We're accelerating our plan to recapture Victoria but it won't be easy to reclaim the mass driver undamaged." Another replied. One asked about Orb. They had the Kaguya mass driver. What was the latest about them?!

"We've repeatedly requested their assistance but that stubborn Uzumi Nara Athha continues to refuse."

"Huh? Because they're... 'neutral'?" A participant questioned. All eyes turned to him. At 30, he was the youngest but also the most dynamic, forceful, and aggressive. And unlike the old men with grim expressions, plain appearance and sober attires, he had light blonde hair, blue eyes, a light blue suit and purple shirt, a nonchalantly confident attitude and slightly disdainful expression. "That isn't good. People are risking their lives in this fight againt humankind's enemy."

"Azrael, I wish you wouldn't put it that way. We are not Blue Cosmos." The Earth Alliance official told the Blue Cosmos leader, though of course, his voice didn't have an ounce of conviction, and his words held very little weight, like trying to apply an exceedingly thin veneer of venerability as a proper 'superpower' compared to the extremism of the Blue Cosmos terrorists.

"I'm terribly sorry." Azrael shrugged, playing the game. "But I just cannot understand why you people continue to recognize such a nation that hides behind its own rhetoric? We've reached the stage where remaining neutral is hardly an option." He wondered, like accusing the others of faintness. Someone argued that Orb was an officially recognized independent state. It couldn't be helped. The head of the Blue Cosmos shrugged again. "As a nation here on Earth, Orb should be obligated to cooperate with the Alliance. Am I wrong?" He rhetorically replied. The officials had nothing to say. "If you prefer, I'll lead the negociations with Orb. Our top priority is to obtain a mass driver, right? And right away. We could get one, or we could get two..." He offered.

"Well... yes, but...!"

"You have the Victoria operation to consider. You'd increase efficiency by dividing the load. While we're at it, we might even be able to test them."

"Are you planning to use those machines?!" A man exclaimed. The GAT–X131 Calamity, GAT-X252 Forbidden, and GAT-X370 Raider, that were still being built during the attack on JOSH-A had finally been completed.

"It all depends on how our counterpart reacts. If that Athha-san is as stubborn as is rumored... we may be in for some excitement..." Muruta Azrael smiled, raising an eyebrow. The officials gave in. They all knew he was just using those negociations as an excuse. It couldn't be more obvious. But they were too timid to go against him, or risk a diplomatic incident and anger the lion. So they shifted all the responsibilities concerning that troublesome country.

Cagalli arrived at the Ministry of Defense just as the Orb council received a final warning. Representative Homura read: _'The Orb Union has not considered the present state of the world and has abandoned its responsibilities as a nation on Earth, showing concern only for its own peace. Furthermore, the nation has continued to refuse repeated requests for cooperation. On behalf of all participating nations, the Earth Alliance demands the following from the Orb Union: One, the immediate mass resignation of the Orb Union's present ruling government; two, disarmament and dissolution of its national army. Should these demands not be met within 48 hours, the Earth Alliance will consider the Orb Union to be a supporter of ZAFT and confront the nation with force.'_

"What a farce! They've even lost the decency to keep up appearances with the loss of Panama?! Damn Atlantic Federation!" Uzumi cursed. A minister informed him that an Alliance fleet was already heading towards them. Their goal was certainly the mass driver and Morgenroete. But as unjust as their demands might be, at this point no country would dare go against the Atlantic Federation. Eurasia had already been shattered. And even the Equatorial Union and Kingdom of Scandinavia who had held out as neutral nations were now part of the Earth Alliance. It was also time for Orb to make a choice. And hearing of the situation, ZAFT's Carpentaria base was requesting a meeting. "Must the Atlantic Federation insist on dividing the world into two groups?! Must everyone be either an enemy or ally?! And must Orb throw away its principles and laws and fight against an assigned enemy?! If we join forces with the Earth Alliance, the PLANTS become our enemy. If we join forces with the PLANTs, the Earth Forces becomes our enemy. Even if we were to avoid conflict today by agreeing to the Earth Alliance's demands, tomorrow we'll become the next Panama! Once we side with a group, we give up any choice of avoiding war!" Representative Athha asserted vehemently. There were still some weak protests.

"In any case, we should give out evacuation orders." Homura decided.

"I pray that we can at least avoid the deaths of children during these times." Ledford commented.

After having descended in Alaska to see what had happened at JOSH-A Athrun headed to the Marshal Islands. He landed on the beach that saw his last battle with Kira and, filled with emotions, walked among the wreckage of the Aegis, recalling the events of that day, what had led to them, and his following conversation with Seren. Then three children's heads popped up behind the gundam's hand. They had been hiding between the thumb and index. Someone asked what was wrong. A middle-aged man with black hair and a cane arrive, helped by a small girl.

"Malchio-sama!" The little ones ran to him and huddled close as they looked at the ZAFT soldier with apprehension. Athrun approached a little and politely bowed.

In the Morgenroete, the Archangel's captain called all her crew members to assemble. Kira and Seren stopped the maintenance of their units and watched Ramius, La Flaga, Cagalli, Rayner and Kisaka walk with a grave expression. In the rest of the Orb country, all media warned the population that a major announcement was about to be made by the government and the citizens were strongly advised to make an effort not to miss this announcement.

"An Earth Alliance fleet is on its way here to Orb." Ramius revealed, shocking the crew that had been assembled. Murmurs rose. "The reason given is: unless Orb joins forces with the Earth Alliance, and fights against the PLANTs, they will consider Orb a supporter of ZAFT." She explained. There were expressions of discontent at such injustice. "The Orb government continued to stress its position as a neutral nation and is calling out for diplomatic cooperation as we speak. But unfortunately, judging from the latest reactions of the Earth Forces, we must say chances of avoiding battle are extremely low. Orb has given orders that all citizens evacuate the city and areas near military facilities. They are readying their defensive positions to prepare for the worst. Each of us must also decide which path to take. Currently, the Archangel is a runaway ship in a situation where it cannot even establish its own position. There is no longer anyone with the authority to give orders on what we should be doing amidst the current state of affairs with Orb. For one, I do not have such authority over you." She declared. The crew whispered again. Cagalli looked over at Kira and Seren with a sad and fearful expression. They smiled at her encouragingly and Rayner scooted closer to her. "Should there be no means to avoid battle, attacks will commence at 09:00 the day after tomorrow. Each of us must independently make a decision as to whether to fight and protect Orb... or not. Therefore, anyone who wishes to take this opportunity to leave this ship is asked to promptly disembark and evacuate according to orders from the Orb government. I thank all of you for sticking by me, your unreliable captain, for so long!" Murrue bowed out of great respect and gratefulness, surprising her subordinates who suddenly fell silent.

Cagalli ran to the two Coordinators of the Archangel, calling them. She repeatedly said their names, so panicky she couldn't even talk much less organize her thoughts. They told her to calm down. If people saw someone in that outfit looking so nervous, it would only make them anxious. She was already one of this country's main pillars of support, as such she couldn't buckle. There were people relying on her. She looked at herself and stammered her agreement.

"You-think so? Tha-that's right... y-yes, but...! Orb's becoming a battlefield! How could this be?!" The princess buried her face in her hand and franctically rubbed her head. Back then, she had defined her country as cowardly and unfair, being the only one sitting back when the world was like this. But now that the war had at last reached this land too...

"Cagalli, what did we just say?" Seren said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder and comfortingly petting her friend's blonde head. "Besides, I think the right choice is being made. Although I also think Orb's path is the toughest. And while our strength may not be much but we will also support you and do everything we can for Orb."

"Yeah. I don't know how much we can do but we'll give all the protection we can to this nation called Orb that your fathers and others are trying to protect." Kira smiled just like his childhood friend.

"K-Kira! Seren!" Cagalli burst into tears and tightly hugged them. The two were a bit awkward since they still hadn't entirely gotten used to her passionate displays of affection but nonetheless took part in the group hug and tried again to calm her down.

Kuzzey stopped by Sai's room. He was wearing his civilian clothes, his luggage in hand.

"I see. Kuzzey, you're getting off..." Sai noted, his military uniform on.

"Yeah... Aren't you leaving, Sai?"

"I'm staying. It's Orb that's under attack after all... and right now, I can contribute. I want to do what I can. I just called my parents a moment ago and told them the same thing."

"But... Oh! What about Milly? She's getting off too, right? I mean, she's a girl..." Buskirk inquired hopefully.

"Kuzzey..." Argyle sighed.

"W-What is it?" His friend replied a little testily.

"Don't worry about what other people are deciding." Sai said, shocking him. "If you made the decision yourself, it should be good enough. Everyone is different."

"But... if I'm the only one saying I want to get off... everyone will think I'm timid and cowardly, right?!" He curled his fists. He wanted to stand with his friends, he wanted them to think well of him, he didn't want to be the only one left out. But he couldn't. It was then that unknowingly to them, Kira, Seren and Cagalli arrived from a narrow alley and stopped at the corner when they heard the voices. It was not an atmosphere in which they could intrude. "That's probably true anyway. But... there's nothing I can do! I can't fight! Leave that to those who can do it!"

"I know. Fighting wars is just not your thing. You're too kind."

"Sai..."

"We'll meet again when the war is over. Be sure to survive until then." Argyle put a comforting hand on his shoulder and held out the other one for the handshake.

"Sai... after all, I should..."

"Don't think about it! You'll regret it again later." Sai scolded. The two Coordinators hung their heads. So what? Did they necessarily have to do something just because they could? Even if that was the thing they wanted to do the least? 'Just do what you can'... it was easier said than done. They have been and were still as unsuited to war as Kuzzey and yet still forced to fight, all this time, and from now on... only because they had that ability, because people would die... and it had destroyed them. Who had thought or cared about their emotional wellness then? Even now, they were envious of Kuzzey who could withdraw as he wished. If more people were afraid of hurting and being hurt, surely this world would be much better. The ability to fight was not something they felt the slightest pride in. It was true that thanks to that power, they could have fewer things taken away from them, but being on the side that took away was equally painful to them. But they understood that it was also needed, as repulsive as it was. Even if it had been forced upon them at first, they understood they could not escape from that curse. That was why they had decided to embrace their role in this war. It was too late to gripe about it now.

Miriallia unlocked the door to Dearka's cell and entered. He sat up and wondered if that was for interrogation or transfer that he was moved. He was surprised to hear he was free to go. He was being released because the ship was once again going into battle as Orb refused to side with the Earth Alliance. She threw his red pilot suit on his lap and left. He ran after her through the corridors and asked what it was about, having trouble to believe what he had heard. But it was just like she had told him.

"The Earth Forces are attacking so the Archangel must fight. There's no reason to keep you on board. So get off." The girl replied curtly as she kept marching forward.

"What I want to know is why are you guys fighting the Earth Forces?" He insisted. It couldn't be just as Seren had said, right?

"Because Orb refuses to side with the Earth Forces."

"Huh? What's that?! It doesn't made sense! Are Naturals really that stupid?!"

"Well, excuse us!" She turned back angrily. "When the battle starts, it'll get really chaotic. Sorry but do something on your own."

"Even if you say that... Hey! What about my Buster?!"

"That was ours to begin with. Morgenroete took it." She answered flatly. Elsman's face dropped in disappointement and he made a disgruntled noise. "I'm sorry that things turned out like this." She smiled faintly but sincerely. She walked away but the boy suddenly gripped her arm.

"A-are you fighting too?!" He exclaimed; like the battlefield was no place for a girl like her.

"I'm in charge of the Archangel's CIC!" Haw shot back, taking the ZAFT soldier aback, and breaking free. She might be a Natural and a young girl, but she was not to be belittled. "Besides, Orb is my home country!"

Orb was still calling for diplomatic resolution, even as they as they were mobilising all of their troops and preparing for war to defend themselves. Their reply to the Earth Alliance ultimatum was just as expected, and hoped for by Director Azrael: 'Your demands are unjust and therefore, we cannot accept them. The Orb Union has no intention of changing its position as a neutral nation.' He had been worried that Orb would actually to his demands. Now they could conduct the tests for those three units. It would be good if that country could put up a fight to the very end.

The repairs of the Archangel were finished, though it would stay drydocked until the battle. Ramius was alone in the bridge, leaning against the wall of the upper level, her arms crossed, looking out the large window. She heaved a sigh. Mu joined her and admonished her. The Captain shouldn't look so depressed. In all, only eleven people had left the ship. That was incredible. JOSH-A must have really pissed everyone.

"At JOSH-A... why did you return, Commander?" She asked softly, with a slightly suspicious edge. She was still looking down. He looked surprised for a second and sighed too.

"I didn't expect to be asked that now after all this time." He said in a breath, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. Shocked, she put her hands against his chest and looked up just to have his lips pressed against hers. Stunned for a few seconds, she closed her eyes and kissed him back. They pulled away.

"I-I detest mobile armor pilots!" Murrue stammered, flustered, her cheeks cutely flushed, averting her eyes, and obviously putting up a front to hide her embarrassement and real feelings, which only made her lovelier and more alluring.

"Ah, but now I'm a mobile suit pilot." Mu replied smartly. The woman looked back at him and they kissed once more. The door opened and Neumann, Chandra and Tonomura came in, excusing themselves. They froze in astonishment at the scene in front of them. Jaws dropped to the ground, they bent forward and blushed as they watched their superiors' very amorous kiss.

"There appears to be no way around it. A battle between Orb and the Earth Forces will take place. It doesn't take much for people to become enemies." Reverend Malchio commented in his orphanage. He was listening to the news on TV, Athrun standing at his side, watching. The children were fearfully standing as far away as possible. The Coordinator didn't understand why Orb and the Earth Forces would fight each other. An image of Seren flashed in his mind. She had always strongly defended and sworn her loyalty to that country, her country, and its ideals... even after what had happened at Heliopolis... Although it was officially neutral and accepted Coordinators, wasn't it still a nation of Earth?

"I hate ZAFT! I'll beat up all of them when I get bigger!" A little boy raged, kicked Athrun's shin, and ran away with his friend. The teen was surprised by such ill will.

"Hey! I'm sorry." Malchio chided the child before apologising for him. "He lost his parents during the battle to occupy Carpentaria." He explained. The soldier gasped and frowned in a pained and understanding expression. "They're so easy to spread, and yet so difficult to extinguish... the flames of war..."

Mu, Kira and Seren boarded their units, ready for battle. Colonel Kisaka marched between the two lines of Astray pilots, saluting the brave soldiers. He was accompanied by Rayner who was wearing a pilot uniform. Cagalli sighed in the control room, mentally bracing herself.

"It's time!" Muruta Azrael declared. The Earth Alliance Fleet launched their missiles. It was 09:00, on June 15th.

"Confirmed! Cruise missiles shot from enemy ships!" A man informed the Orb princess. Everyone turned to her. She clenched her fists.

"All Orb forces..." She began, her voice quivering slightly. "Commence counterattack!" She commanded resolutely. The Orb fleet fired. It soon received the support of the aerial force. The Astray squad sortied, including Asagi Caldwell, Juri Wu Nien and Mayura Labatt. And so did Rayner in the Blast who was to take command on the field. The X216 had equipped its Storm mobility pack and all of its armament, becoming the 'Full Blast'. Before coming to the hangar, he had gone to see Cagalli. Because he knew her personality, he had made her promise to stay in the control center, no matter how dire the situation was to become. She had protested. If she couldn't protect her country, she had no right to be at the top!

"But this country can only exist and stay as it is because it has you! You represent this nation's future! A head can't irresponsibly leave its position! Our armies are counting on you to command them!"

"But...!"

"Don't worry, I'll also take part in this battle as the Blast's pilot. I'll fight and protect those you want to protect in your place." Rayner had softly reassured her as he had held her strongly in his arms. He was not only here by his own will, he was also shouldering Cagalli's feelings.

On the bridge of the Archangel, Sai reported that the Orb forced had begun battle. He had taken Romero Pal's position above the captain as the one responsible for the fire control systems. Likewise, Miriallia had been 'promoted' to Kuzzey's position behind Sai as communication operator.

"Archangel, taking off!" Ramius ordered. The ship sailed out. The tanks, Astrays, and defensive mechanisms fired. "Gottfrieds, aim! Fire!" Many missiles were detonated but a number still fell on Orb ships, facilities, and mobile suits.

Standing on a cliff, dressed in civilian clothes, bag in hand, Dearka was watching the battle with mixed feelings.

The Earth Alliance deployed the Strike Daggers and Star Blasters that were now properly equipped with EMP shielding. Their landing on the Izanagi shore was reported in the Orb control room. Cagalli ordered to bring in the Eighth Armored Battalion. A second later they received news that large carriers were approaching Onogoro Island from above. More Strike Daggers were parachuted from those carriers.

"Kira Yamato! Freedom, taking off!"

"Seren Elvira Ledford! Independence, taking off!"

"Mu La Flaga! Strike, heading out!" His unit also featured all its armament packs for a 'Perfect Strike'.

The pilots of the Forbidden, Calamity, and Raider drank a phial and boarded their machines. They received a communication from Director Azrael. They were not to damage the mass driver or Morgenroete.

"So we can do whatever we wish with everything else, right?" Shani Andras questioned from the Forbidden. He was 16, with curly green hair and heterochromatic eyes. His right eye was purple but his left eye, usually hidden by his hair, was golden.

"Right?" Clotho Buer, at the commands of the Raider also wanted confirmation. He had orange-red hair and blue eyes and was 18.

"Shut up, guys!" The pilot of the Calamity, Orga Sabnak, barked. At 19, he was the oldest and effective leader of the trio. His hair was blonde and his eyes green. They launched. The X370 Raider transformed into a mobile armor that served as a Guul subflight lifter for the X131 Calamity.

Juri was cornered by a Strike Dagger but Mayura came to her help. Asagi was busy fighting her own enemy and Rayner occupied by a Star Blaster that he managed to slice down with his beam boomerang. After detonating missiles, Seren sunk three EA ships but a moment later, she blocked a beam from a Star Blaster and retaliated. The Freedom incapacited five GAT-01 with his rifle and cannons before letting go of his shield, diving and impairing two more with his beams sabers. He quickly recovered his shield and soared back in the air to the amazement of the three female test pilots he had saved. He was awesome. La Flaga destroyed three Strike Daggers with the Agni cannon.

"Boy that was cool." He praised the Coordinator too. "I know I'm still just a newbie anyway." He continued half-resentfully. He wanted to be cool too, but he had started piloting a MS too recently. "Hey! You better stay alert girls! More will be here in a minute!" He chided them just as he was engaged in combat by a Star Blaster. The Archangel fired its Valiant cannons, destructing EA fighting planes. The Independence fired all its arsenal and damaged a number Earth Forces units. Clotho claimed the white ship as his prey. Orga shot at the spaceship with the two backpack-mounted "Schlag" 125mm High-Energy Long-Range Beam Cannons and chest-mounted "Scylla" 580mm Multi-phase Energy Cannon. The Archangel evaded. The beams sunk the Orb ship behind it. Orga clicked his tongue. The Calamity was a longe range artillery mobile suit. Its armament consisted of the two "Shlag" cannons, the multi-phase energy cannon, the "Kaefer Zwei" 2-barrel 115mm dual ram cannon equipped on the shield attached to the left arm and a hand carried "Todesblock" 337mm plasma-sabot bazooka. All of them had a high rate of fire. However, it didn't have a single close-combat weapon. To support this power-hunger suit, it had been equipped with a Trans Phase Armor, a new and more energy-efficient form of Phase Shift armor. It could easily hover over bodies of sand or water but as it lacked true flight capabilities, it had to ride on the Raider.

"You missed, lousy shot!" Clotho mocked. They flew over a forest, completely ignoring the family that crouched down, the parents, teen boy, and little girl. The X131 slid down and landed further away, not far from Dearka. La Flaga cursed. A new Earth Forces machine?! Meantime, The Independence had gone after the Forbidden. The "Antares" 13,65 meters anti-ship sword clashed with the X252's sole hand-held weapon, the "Nidhoggr" Heavy Scythe. The EA machine tried to shoot her at point blank range but Seren escaped and fired her "Alcor" beam cannons, but to her great surprise, the beams did not even touch the shields and simply curved away, as if repelled by an invisible force. Now that thing was troublesome. As part of the 200 series, the Forbidden possessed special equipment, the Geschmeidig Panzer system that utilized colloid particles to repel and redirect energy beams away from the mobile suit. It seemed to be ineffective against close combat beam weapons but could counteract water pressure, allowing for aquatic combat. Well, it might repel beams but what about the physical attack of an anti-ship sword or railguns?

The Raider, still in MA mode, dived on the Archangel. It turned back into a MS right before it but Kira kicked it away into the sea before it could do anything. EA fighting planes supported by a Star Blaster attacked the Independence, forcing it to block with the shield and counter. Seren dodged the Forbidden's scythe that was coming at her from behind and opened her hole in the formation to gain distance and avoid the beam cannons. While she was occupied by the Star Blasters (as two others had come as reinforcements to the first one), the Forbidden sliced an Orb ship that exploded. Kira went after it, dodging the "Mjolnir" Spherical Breaker the Raider had hurled at him from behind. Designed for infiltrating and raiding enemy bases, the X252 could transform into a "High-Speed Assault Form" by flipping its huge backpack unit over its head. It was armed with head-mounted Igelstellung CIWS, an "Armfeuer" 115mm Machine Gun on each forearm, and a pair of "Eckzahn" 88mm Railguns on the backpack usable only in high speed assault form. Thanks to the beam arching devices equipped on the "Eckzahn" railguns, its only beam weapon, the "Hresvelgr" Plasma Induction Cannon that was on the backpack (and also couldn't be used unless in high speed assault form) could become more effective. These devices generated a magnetic field that altered the direction of the beam, making it difficult to evade.

On the ground, the Calamity was decimating the M1 Astrays. Foot soldiers ran away in fear. Orga laughed like a madman. But he was confronted by the Perfect Strike. The X131 paried the anti-ship sword and La Flaga jumped to avoid being hit by its Scylla cannon at point blank range. The Full Blast was doing some significant culling among the Earth Forces troops thanks to its maneuverability in the atmostphere and the wide variety of weapons of its complete form, all while supporting Mu against the X131. Dearka had returned to town, in the middle of combat. He stared at the fighting Archangel. That girl was there, fighting too... _"I'm in charge of the Archangel's CIC! Besides, Orb is my home country!" _And so was that one... _"Had things been different, we might have been friends. So maybe it's not too late. Maybe we can still be friends."_..._ "Do all Naturals truly deserve to be wiped out?"_... _"It's up to you what you wish to do with the rest of your lives. Make sure your decision is one you can live with. Make sure you choose the future you truly desire.' That's what Uzumi-sama said." _What he believed... was that that Natural girl was a good person... what he wanted... was not to let her die...! He shook his head, shaking his doubts off, and dashed among the debris to the Morgenroete.

Buer was going to attack the Freedom but had to stop when the Forbidden blocked his path. He yelled at Shani not to get in his way and Shani angrily replied that Clotho was the one in the way. The X252 shot at the Freedom that evaded and retaliated upside down with its plasma cannons, against Seren's advice. The beam curved harmlessly to Kira's surprise. Beams were useless against that one. The Independence attacked the Raider with its "Alcor" cannon and detached the "Aquila" backpack. The enemy evaded the beams and threw its Mjolnir mace. Seren dodged and tried to cut the cable with a beam saber but failed. However, the Aquila pack had successfully got the back of X370 with its Apus plasma beam cannons. Unfortunately, the Raider had moved at the last second and only its left shoulder had been damaged. Under attack from the EA fighting planes, the Archangel fired the Helldarts but was still hit. The ship rocked. Suddenly a plane was destroyed by a powerful beam... hit by the Buster's long range rifle fired from the shore! Dearka launched missiles, once more protecting the ship from the Earth Forces, the same ship he had tried to sink all this time until now.

"Hurry out of there, Archangel!" He shouted, shocking the former Atlantic Federation soldiers.

"Why... is he...?" Miriallia muttered.

Asagi, Mayura and Juri came to help La Flaga who was having trouble against the Calamity, leaving Rayner free to take to the sky, detonate missiles and sink a ship before he was confronted by another Star Blaster. Kira and Seren also had a difficult time facing the Raider and Forbidden, so much that they had a hard time believing that their opponents were truly Naturals. What had those people done to them to increase their capacities to this extent?! And what about their sheer recklessness and lack of teamwork?! If Kira and Seren were still above them, it was thanks to their teamwork which seemed to annoy their enemies. The Calamity was also taking advantage of the slightest distractions to shoot the two Coordinators from behind, although they still avoided.

On his Fatum-00 that he was using as a Guul sublifter, the Justice was approaching Onogoro. Athrun frowned deeply. Black smoke was rising from the island. The zoom showed him the Freedom and Independence... Kira and Seren?! They were fighting unknown mobile suits... that were holding their own against them! No, they were in difficulty because although she dispatched them relatively quickly, Seren was often swarmed with fighting planes and those mass-produced units that ressembled the Blast, leaving Kira alone to face those two opponents! He gritted his teeth, his conflicted feelings ramping no less intensely than the war unfolding before him. He remembered Nicol's death, his near kiss with Seren, that moment when he had destroyed the Strike, how Seren had cried and tried to kill him afterwards before forcing the gun in his hands and telling him to kill her. He remembered that goodbye among the cherry trees when the three of them were still innocent children, and how that hateful little boy, younger than they had been then, had kicked his shin saying he'd beat up all of ZAFT when he'd grow up... such a small child... and already so full of hate and thirst for revenge... if children were like this... what could he expect of the future? He recalled Seren's words _"What I want can be found neither in ZAFT nor in the EA. That is the wish for coexistence, that spirit that exists in Orb." _And she was now fighting to protect Orb. Had she found her path? And Kira? And he recalled Lacus's words... _"What is it that you believe in and fight for? Is it for the medals you receive? For your father's orders?" _He gripped his joystick tighter and opened his eyes. He was still wavering, but he had taken a decision.

Struck down by the Forbidden, the Freedom recovered but it was too late to dodge the shot from the Raider's mouth-mounted, short-ranged "Zorn" 100mm Energy Cannon. Seren yelled Kira's name. However, against all expectations, the beam was blocked by the Justice's shield. Athrun shot the Raider that avoided. Kira and Seren stared, open-mouthed, at this new red unit. In the cockpit, Athrun's face was full of determination.

* * *

A feeling turns to wind and gently finds a home in our hearts, growing as a flower. We believe in a place where we can exist as ourselves. The dream we see is like a prayer. What does an adult's gaze see? Learning the difference between a life taken and a life shared, we chose the path that would allow us to avoid taking lives. And still, murderous intentions came to find us. On and on, until one side or the other was to fall.

* * *

**Author's note: for now the results of the poll are 4 votes for gundam seed and 4 for yu yu hakusho. So thanks to those who voted :) Also, with Athrun's return, things should get more interesting from here on :p**


	37. Turmoil

**Phase-37: Turmoil**

"Helldarts! Fire!" Murrue yelled as another Orb ship was destroyed near the Archangel. The light anti-air shells from the bridge tower detonated a number of missiles heading to the coast but still many hit. Asagi escaped from a Strike Dagger. However with her rifle she was at a disadvantage in this close combat against a beam saber wielding enemy. He closed in and was about to kill her but she was saved by Mayura. Juri stabbed another attacker. Everyone was working hard, doing their best, fighting for their lives, for their country, yet they were still being overwhelmed by the Earth Forces' sheer numbers. Orb's secondary defense line had been broken. The control room had lost communication with the 6th Technical Company. Although that advance was very dearly paid. The three original GAT models, the Strike, Blast and Buster fought most viciously, and claimed a high toll on the EA forces.

Kira and Seren stared, shocked, at the red unit that had just come to their aid. Clotho, angry at the newcomer who had spoiled his fun, charged. Shani didn't mind the arrival of that other funny-looking MS though. Apparently content to have a new 'playmate', he attacked too.

"This is ZAFT Special Forces agent... Athrun Zala. Can you hear me, Freedom and Independence? Kira Yamato and Seren Ledford I presume..." The pilot of the red MS introduced himself. Kira and Seren were still unable to answer. Athrun had come... he had come but... for what reason?! To talk, or...? He dodged and blocked the Raider's shots, took out his double-bladed beam saber and slashed. The X370 paried with its right arm mounted shield.

"What's the big idea?!" Kira gripped a beam saber too and attacked the Forbidden that got away. "Is ZAFT going to stick its nose in this battle!? What are you planning!?"

Seren's mind was racing franctically. That was right! Athrun was a ZAFT soldier! He had introduced himself as such! And he was even part of the Special Forces! This was a battle between Orb and the Earth Alliance! And Orb had stressed its refusal to accept ZAFT's help in this conflict! Had ZAFT still decided to interfere? Why? And the Special Forces only obeyed the Chairman... She and Kira had 'stolen' two ZAFT units they were currently piloting equipped with N-jammer cancellers... there should have been orders to prevent that technology from falling into the Naturals' hands at any costs...

"I have no specific orders regarding this battle! This intervention... is my decision alone!" Athrun replied as the Forbidden fired at the Freedom a beam that curved. So he had, on his own, decided to help them... for now...

"But as a member of the Special Forces, you must have received orders to take back or destroy the Freedom and Independence and kill their pilots and all affiliated people!" Seren argued, firing at the Raider with her Alcor beam cannons, keeping it away from her childhood friends. It turned back into a MS and launched its spherical breaker that the girl dodged before lunging at him, beam saber in hand. Buer blocked it... and barely got away when she suddenly took her other beam saber and slashed. He increased the distance.

"I did. But I have no intention to harm you, Kira, or your allies." The ZAFT elite answered as he went to her help. So he had come to talk... The two Orb pilots were so relieved. Kira fired at the X252 but naturally the beams were deflected by its shield system. He gritted his teeth while the enemy pilot scoffed.

"Beams don't work against that guy! Use your rail cannons!" Seren advised Kira as she fired at the Forbidden with her own Vega rail cannons, damaging its backpack. On the ground, Orga noticed there was an extra weird enemy unit and shot in the middle of the crowd. Luckily it missed but his allies were angry at him. Shooting blindly like that... he could have hit them!

Mu, Dearka, and the Orb forces had also noticed the new comer and were unsure about him. Was it another Earth Forces machine?! No! It was backing the Freedom and Independence! And thanks to that unit's support, the Independence had had enough leeway to destroy two more enemy ships with its Apus plasma beam cannons. But now, the third EA gundam had decided to join the fray since it seemed more interesting than simply and randomly wreaking havoc. It landed on an Orb vessel and destroyed its bridge before shooting the three in the sky. They avoided. Once more, Clotho accused him of being in the way. From the smoke and flames, Orga yelled at him to shut up. He didn't look angry but exalted. He fired again. The beam was deflected by the Forbidden in hope to get the Justice but it nearly hit the Raider whose pilot shouted at Shani this time. Athrun shot at the GAT-X252 with the Cervus machine gun turrets on his Fatum-00 but the projectiles were blocked. The Freedom used its Xiphias rail cannons and the impact knocked the green machine over, and just as it recovered, the Justice kicked it down.

Meantime, Seren had been engaged by the Raider. She sliced its spherical breaker with her beam saber and charged while shooting with her rifle. It turned into a MA; barely avoiding her. She used her Alcor beam cannons. However, she had come close to the Calamity and became its target. She changed strategy and lunged at the X131, avoiding the shots. It was standing on an Orb ship so she had to be careful, bring things to close combat, or be extra precise... She aimed her beams at the legs, forcing the adversary and jump and hover. She had closed in! Ledford launched her Aquila backpack at it, blinding it by firing its Corvus machine guns. The Aquila suddenly disappeared from view and the Calamity was kicked down from behind into the sea.

"20 to port! We'll crush the fleet on our left!" Captain Ramius ordered. The Archangel had regularly received help from the Blast that had also sunk a few ships. On the ground, La Flaga had switched to the anti-ship sword and was forming a good combination with Dearka. Juri, Asagi, and Mayura had also gotten better.

Muruta Azrael complained that they still hadn't taken over the enemy headquarters. It was strange. The ship captain implicated the new machines the director was so proud of. They didn't seem to fulfil the job he had expected them to. The Blue Cosmos leader glared.

The Freedom, Justice, and Independence were displaying magnificent teamwork, covering for each other, confusing their foes, containing them... the very opposite of the EA units that were perfectly fine firing at each other. Was it because they trusted each other, like Seren and Kira in the Lybia desert? It seemed more like they didn't care whether their allies lived or died, or worst, they were like dogs with rabies fighting over bones and blaming each other for being in the way. However, their quarrel was interrupted when pain shot through their bodies, as if some madman was trifling with their nervous system. To be able to perform at the same level as Coordinators, micro-implants had been placed in their brains and glands, and they were given regular doses of the performance-enhancing drug Gamma Glipheptin in addition to being mentally conditioned to eliminate their sense of fear and increase aggression in combat. However, this drug had significant downsides. Its duration was very brief, negatively affected the pilots' mental stability and caused severe incapacitating withdrawal symptoms as well as addiction. The three Earth Forces machines quickly withdrew back to their flagship, much to everyone's surprise, even Azrael's. They should still have energy left, why retreat so suddenly? The blonde Blue Cosmos leader cursed. They were useless. The captain demanded an explanation. The three Clotho, Orga and Shani barely managed to get out of their machines and fall on their knees on the causeways, swearing profusely, grunting in pain as the physicians were merely observing them and writing things.

"That's all, folks. We're taking a break, captain." The Atlantic Federation's 'negociator' stood up and waved coolly and dismissively despite the rage and frustration boiling inside him. "Temporary retreat. Recall all forces." He ordered. The officer protested. "We're not gonna get much farther with the Strike Daggers and Star Blasters alone. We don't have much of those Star Blasters left anyway. That just means Orb's hidden strengths are much greater than we predicted. If we try fighting without the new machines, we'll be finished." Azrael developed. They had hoped to conquer that puny country in one go but they had underestimated it. Also, the unexpected presence of those three machines had proved especially problematic. They fired the retreat signal, to Orb's relief.

But it was not over for Athrun, Kira and Seren. They all looked grave even as they lowered their weapons but the former EA pilots also had very wary expressions. They thanked the ZAFT soldier for his support but they'd like once again to confirm his true intentions. Athrun closed his eyes and once more memories flooded his mind... Nicol's death at Kira's hands, Seren's tears and faith, his father's extreme coldness and rejection, and Lacus's unchanged warm smile... He opened his cockpit and his seat rose outside, showing his faith and sincerity.

"As I have told you, I have orders from the Headquarters to either recapture or destroy those machines, the Freedom and the Independence. But right now, I have no intentions of fighting you or your allies. I want to talk... with you."

The sun was setting. The first day of fighting was over. It was only one day, and Orb had already been so deeply wounded. Tents had been hastily brought up and the battlefield was bustling with medics and soldiers trying to save those who could still be saved. Any delay in the rescues and the cost in lives would only increase. The mechanics also hurried the repairs and resupplying of the machines. Many men had been caught by falling debris. And many would not be saved. Most pilots would come out of their gundam and simply collapse when reaching the ground. They loosened their suits slightly, finally able to breathe a little. Dearka opened the Buster's cockpit and stared at the returning Archangel. Cagalli, accompanied by Kisaka, was making a tour and congratulated the people. They had done well, fighting and surviving.

The Freedom, Justice and Independence landed, facing each other in a three-way deadlock. Their pilots came down. Cagalli, Kisaka, Rayner, Mu, Dearka, the three Orb test pilots and the Archangel crewmembers stationned at the bridge came to watch. The captain stopped the teens' friends. Dearka was shocked. Everyone else was worried. Kira and Seren stared at Athrun who fixed them back. He felt Chacha move in his clothes and escape his pilot suit. The squirrel flew over to Seren and perched on her shoulder. She petted it with a very tender expression and it climbed on her collar and touched her cheek. The three took a step and marched on. The Orb soldiers aimed at the ZAFT Red Coat. He looked at them but did nothing.

"Don't shoot!" Seren ordered.

"He's not an enemy!" Kira added. Familiar scenes were playing in their minds... their 'reunion' at Heliopolis, the longing for each other in Orb when Athrun had returned Torii and Chacha, the hatred and sorrow when Kira had killed Nicol, when Athrun had killed Tolle, when those two had fought to the death... Athrun remembered the tears in Seren's eyes on that deserted island, and after they thought he had killed Kira... he remembered how she had aimed a gun at him both times... and the attraction between them, when they had almost kissed, and when she had still embraced him despite his having killed Kira... He also recalled Lacus and her smile when he had threatened to kill her and her advice... They stopped. Torii flew over too and Kira smiled as it landed on his shoulder. He gazed at them.

"Hi, Athrun." They greeted him with an awkward smile. Athrun curled his fists and whispered their name with contained feelings.

"Why do you fight? I want you to tell me." The ZAFT soldier surprised them. But Kira barely said a word that Seren hit them them on the head right as Cagalli was going to intervene and she pulled them to her, her arms around their shoulders. She might not have shown it, but she had probably been the most anxious... and so she had snapped first.

"Glum difficult stuff should be saved for later. We finally reunited. Since we don't know what will happen, we should earnestly and fully rejoice while we still can! At least for a time, can't we go back to how it was before? Isn't it what you truly want too?" She scolded them with a pleading tone. And still, happiness overflowed from her expression. Even if it was for a moment, they were together, she was holding them. They smiled slightly and hugged her back.

"Sorry for always troubling you." They apologized before smiling at each other.

"See? You can count on Seren to beat some sense into them and shape them up... literally." Rayner reassured Cagalli.

The Archangel returned to the facility for repairs and maintenance, and so did all movable gundams. The three Coordinator friends were sitting on a box at the foot of the Justice. The two former EA pilots, dressed in their EA uniforms (Chacha curled in a ball on Seren's lap), told their ex-enemy what they were planning to do from now on.

"But that's..." Athrun trailed off embarassedly. He clearly thought they were chasing a foolish dream for children without daring to say it outloud.

"Yes, we're aware of the difficulties." Kira admitted as Cagalli happily brought them drinks. She had recovered her cheerfulness now that this trio was reconciling. Rayner was with her. Sai, Mu, and Murrue were listening too a bit further away. And so were Miriallia and Dearka. "But I believe it can't be helped. I believe that what Uzumi-sama and Tobias-sama said is right. Should Orb side with the Earth Forces, the Atlantic Federation will use that power to attack the PLANTs. And it's the same thing if Orb decides to side with ZAFT. The only thing that differs is the enemy. But that won't help things one bit. We're sick of it. We can no longer live with that."

"Well, that had been my goal all along, although until now, it had been no more than a faraway dream. But now, we finally found a path, we found the strength to walk it, and we have been given the swords to cut it open. If it's us wielding those swords, we might be able to save more lives than if it was someone else. People we couldn't save before, we might be able to save them now. That's why..." Seren added softly. Athrun tried to protest again. Uzumi and Tobias were in a gyroheli, flying over the civilian areas and inspecting the damage done to their country. While in the sea, Le Creuset was watching the Earth Forces fleet from a submarine. Flay was also there, in a room, dressed in a ZAFT green uniform so she'd be less conspicuous.

"I killed a comrade... a friend of yours." Kira interrupted. Seren recalled how Athrun had cried for Nicol's death when he had told her about him. It was his death that had driven him to try killing even Kira. "But I never knew him. And it's not as if I wanted to kill him. You killed Tolle." He continued. Milly and Dearka gasped. The communication operator looked down, trying to control her feelings while Elsman gazed worriedly at her. The pilot of the Justice remembered the increase in viciousness in Kira's attacks after he had destroyed the fighting plane. And Seren had cried so much for him too. And it was also partly for that person that she had aimed that loaded gun at him. "But you never knew Tolle. And it's not like you wanted to kill him, was it?" He turned to Zala who looked down and bit his lip with a pained expression.

"I... tried to kill you." He spoke as if the words hurt him. He had... wanted to kill Kira.

"Same here." The brown-haired boy surprised his male friend.

"And so did I, right?" Their female friend added. In that seaplane, believing he had killed both Kira and Tolle she cherished so much, overcome by rage, grief and despair, she had truly wanted to kill Athrun too, and she had been this close to doing it.

"It would be great if we lived in a world where we didn't have to fight." Kira commented.

"But the war keeps spreading. Both sides have started using superweapons. Each battle turns into a genocide. This has become a war of complete extermination. ZAFT even lifted the self-imposed ban on nuclear energy. At this rate, PLANTs and Earth will really destroy each other..." Seren mused. Her words reminded Athrun of his father's words... _"Now we need it, in order to win this war! We need that energy!"_ He had looked so collected, cold-blooded... but those were the actions of the desperate that were losing themselves! Seren was right... "We've decided to fight to stop that. That's why we returned. Besides, even if it was to protect... we have already pulled the trigger. We must take responsibility. So... are we going to fight each other again?" The girl smiled. But it was one of those heart-rending smiles.

"Seren..." Athrun whispered with a pained expression as he realized the extent of her determination... and her feelings. Because she had something to do, she would fight him. If she had to, she would kill him. She had that resolution, even if it meant she had to sacrifice half of herself, because he meant that much to her. _"If you say that he was your enemy then so I am! There's still one bullet left. Go ahead, shoot! Kill me! Since I am your enemy! Shoot, since that's what you said you'd do, since that's what you must do!" _But he had been unable to kill her. _"Now, if you've declared me an enemy, will you shoot me? Athrun Zala of ZAFT?" _And he had been unable to kill Lacus too. Even if his duty as a ZAFT soldier commanded him to. Seren was the woman he loved. And he knew she loved him back. To fight her, to kill her... would be the same as killing himself. And Lacus was a dear friend. Were they truly his enemies? They couldn't be. He looked at Kira. He was the same, a precious friend, and he wore the same expression of sad determination as Seren. "Kira..." He looked down. What should he do? As a soldier, he was to shoot the enemy. Who was the enemy? Was it Kira, Seren and Lacus, as well as Orb and the Earth Alliance, as his father had decreted? He didn't want that. Were Kira and Seren right? Was their path viable? Could they really stop the war this way?

"I should get back to my duties." Kira informed and started leaving. "We never know when they might attack us again."

"I have one question!" Chairman Zala's son stood up too. "The Freedom is equipped with a Neutron Jammer Canceller. What will you do with that data?"

"If anyone tries to use that data or take it from me, I'll shoot them myself." The EA pilot reassured him. And so did the former operator of the Blast. Kira walked away. Miriallia burst out in tears and tried to leave. Dearka stopped her.

"What do you want?" She snapped.

"Ah... uh... well..." He approached, scratching the back of his head uneasily. "He's the one who killed that guy... Tolle."

"So what?! Weren't you listening to what Kira and Seren were saying?!" She snarled.

"Ah, well..." Elsman stuttered. As a proud elite Coordinator, he had always behaved arrogantly, and dismissed others with disdain and humor. And his status as war prisoner hadn't changed his nature and attitude. But he had been saved by a person who should have killed him, and tried to kill him. He had seen strength and kindness in a girl that should have been his enemy. Even tough he wanted to comfort her, before her tears he became helpless and humble and never seemed to be able to find the right words.

"Will killing him bring Tolle back?! It won't, will it? So don't even talk about it!" Milly ran away, Dearka still chasing after her. Athrun looked back at them. He sat back down at Seren's side and scratched his head in confusion and frustration. _"Your friend, trying to protect you, was going to kill him, so Kira killed him first, Tolle too, a civilian thrown into this war just because he had seen something he shouldn't, he loved his girlfriend and he was just trying to protect us, Coordinators, despite being a Natural!" _And now Dearka, who had always showed such hostility and contempt for Naturals, was so concerned about that girlfriend.

"Seren, you said you didn't want to remain an actor in the script someone else made forever, the script that said the Earth and PLANTs must keep fighting, that makes us keep fighting... you finally returned to Orb as you wished and you've also found your path. But do you really think you can change the script like this, with so little people and power on your side?"

"I don't know. But at least I must try. If everybody gives up from the start saying it can't be helped then it's sure that nothing will ever change and we'd end up doing even less. But if we changed, and managed something, then other might change too and it'd be like a snowball turning into an avalanche. At least, peace can't be achieved by fighting puppets who gave up their thinking process. We must not let ourselves be blinded by resentment to the point we become part of the problem. Understanding and compassion are the only truly revolutionary notions. By denying them, we become what we despise, and we lose our humanity. That's what I learned. And that's why I can't lay my weapons down now, as long as there is war, as long as I have something to protect. The Archangel left the Earth Alliance and is now with Orb. All members decided for themselves what they wanted to do, just like Kira and me. Now we're just individuals who decided to fight for our principles, our beliefs, for a future we don't want to regret, for a world in which we won't be forced to choose a side and condemn part of our loved ones to save others. You're from ZAFT and you're Chairman Zala's son. As your father and hierarchical superior he may command you. And as son and soldier you may have to obey, but your life and soul are yours alone. Now it's your turn. What do you want to do? What do you want to protect? What kind of future do you wish for? Listen well, and choose. It's all right here." Seren touched his chest, right above his heart. She thanked him for having returned Chacha to her and excused herself. She had some maintenance to do on the Independence.

In the Earth Alliance fleet flagship, Azrael asked how much longer it would take until they were ready to attack again. Orb had repeatedly sent requests to talk things over but it was far too late. If they could not conquer this nation with all this battle power, it would be in their best interest to have it disappear. The captain said they were almost ready. If anything the problem was more on the director's side.

"Well, well, excuse me. Why don't we get started again? I think they've been punished enough. They must properly do their work. If we don't see some improvement, this wouldn't be a demonstration." The Blue Cosmos leader commented while in the lounge the three pilots were writhing due to the excruciating pain caused by withdrawal symptoms of their enhancing drug.

In Orb, Athrun questioned Rayner's and Cagalli's presence so close to him. They were just standing guard. But surely he was relieved that Kira was still alive. Seren might have 'predicted' it but well... He agreed and thanked them for what they had done for him and Seren before. Cagalli thought Kira and Seren had changed, but for Athrun, they were the same as always.

"And so, what do you plan to do from now on?" Rayner asked.

"I don't know. I guess I'll do as Seren told me, though as she said I might already have the answer." The ZAFT soldier replied, thinking of his father.

"You know, if you're not careful, you're just going to become Seren's submissive husband." The blonde young man warned.

"I know." Athrun answered absentmindedly. But then he registered what Rayner had said. "Eh? Ah! No, I... hum..." He stammered, flustered.

"All girls are gems. The girls in the Ledford clan are particularly worthy, and our Seren is our most precious treasure... although it's only (very) recently that she started losing her rough edges and becoming more polished. In that regard, it's perfectly fine for her to make guys cry, but if a guy hurts her or makes her cry then he will have to face us, though of course it's a secret from her. You would do well to remember that." The heir of the Ledford family glared menacingly. Then he smiled very amiably. "If it's clear you should hurry and break your engagement with your fiancée if that hasn't been called off already so you can go out with her." He was smiling but he felt all the more threatening because of it. Cagalli whacked his head.

"Don't threaten him where Seren can see you. She'll chew you out. And don't you have something to do on the Blast?"

"I'll go if you come with me."

"Yes, yes." The princess pushed the silly prince away. She turned to Athrun and apologized. "I'm sorry about his behavior. Forgive him. The Ledfords are all very committed to their family and loved ones, so they can be a bit on the vindictive side." She euphemized. "Please take your time. I'll make sure that guy isn't on your back stressing you out."

Athrun looked at them for a time before staring at the Independence. What he wanted to do... What he must do...

The sun was rising. Andras, Buer and Shabnak took the phials the medical staff was handing them with trembling hand and drank them. Ten units of Gilpeptin had been added. They should be okay for at least two hours. If they didn't want to experience that pain again, they should do a better job this time. Clotho grateful accepted, turned meek and submissive. Orga cursed under his breath.

Kira was sleeping in the Freedom in his EA uniform. Athrun was sitting on stairs at the feet of the Justice, still deep in thought. He had barely slept. Seren came down from the Independence, having just woken up from her own nap. She gazed at Athrun for a time, and left. He had to decide on his own. And from a distance, Rayner and Cagalli were glancing at them. They couldn't help either. And Dearka was just as concerned. He too had fought for Orb and protected the Archangel.

Shani, Clotho and Orga swore to sink those three machines for sure this time. And the Calamity, Raider and Forbidden soared in the morning sky.

* * *

We know we can't advance by just fighting but we still can't do anything about this awkward way of life, so we keep struggling. We believe. We want to believe. What's the point in believing? What to believe in? Inside our tightly-clenched fists there is the answer that we've already chosen. We won't run away and we won't just look on. Challenging it, that alone will be fine. An uncertain future is something in which you have to clear open a path, right?

* * *

**Author's note: just want to thank notepad and SurvivorTierEXO for their reviews ^^. Also since I finished writing episode 45, I only have three more left to write ^^ and 11 to read for you lol.**


	38. Flickering light of hope

**Phase-38: Flickering light of hope**

The Calamity, Raider and Forbidden soared in the morning sky, signaling the start of the Earth Alliance offensive. Their ships launched their missiles, fighting planes, and mobile suits. The Orb radars detected the attack.

"Approaching missiles!"

"Airborne mobile suit forces approaching Onogoro!"

The alarm rang through the island.

"Prepare to counterattack!" Following the orders, the Astrays started to sortie.

"They never even responded to our requests to talk! Damn!" Cagalli cursed. Uzumi, Tobias, and other Representatives were also keeping a tab on the events in an underground room. The chief swore too. How could they?! Was this the answer of the Earth Alliance? Now that they had declared this nation their enemy, they wouldn't even listen to them?! Lines of tanks intercepted part of the assault. Dearka, after having hesitated for a moment, cursed and rushed to change into his pilot suit. Seren arrived running to see Athrun put a hand on Kira's shoulder.

"From the looks of things, Orb has no chance of winning. You realize that, don't you?"

"Yeah. I think we all realize that. But to give up fighting just because we have no chance of winning and do as they wish... we can't do that, right?" The former Orb civilian replied with a small resigned smile.

"Kira..."

"What's important is what we are fighting for. That's why I'm going out there. Of course I'd prefer not to fight if it can be helped, but there are things that can't be protected without fighting." Kira boarded the Freedom. The ZAFT soldier remembered when he had pointed his gun at Lacus and she had confronted him fearlessly. _"What is it that you believe in and fight for? Is it for the medals you receive? For your father's orders?" _"Sorry, Athrun. And thank you. I'm glad I had a chance to talk to you." Yamato climbed into the cockpit and activated his unit. Suddenly Athrun felt a blow on head. He turned to see Seren as Kira was heading out.

"What was that for?"

"Sorry. There was steam coming out of your ears. Smart people overthink, but that's no good. Well, you might have lots to think about, you might have regrets whichever path you choose, but surely there's one where you'll regret less than the other. So it should be alright for you to simply do what you want to do." She lightly tapped his chest with the back of her fist and walked away. The boy stopped her and looked at her.

"Seren, you..." He knew how much she cared about Orb, and how much she hated fighting... taking lives... Despite everything she had said, even though she had accepted it, that aspect of her still hadn't changed. And he didn't want her to go with Kira and fight a losing battle, he didn't want to see her cry and suffer again... but he also understood her, and he didn't really know what to say or do. But just as he was going to speak, she placed her finger on his lips, silencing him. He didn't need to speak. All of his feelings were reflected in his gaze.

"I know." she smiled resignedly. "But there are times when people have to make a stand even when they know they don't have a chance. I want to protect Orb's ideals, peace between Coordinators and Naturals, for there to be a place where I can live with all those I love. But I can't protect them if I don't fight. Those people won't even listen to us. So even if Orb is destroyed, it'll be fine as long as we survive and fight to keep those ideals, that hope alive. It'll be fine. That's why I'll fight too. Sorry." Seren tightly hugged him around the waist. "And thank you, for caring so much about us even now. I was glad to see you and talk to you again. I'm going now." And she boarded the Independence. She and Kira had said the same things. The X08A sortied.

"If you want to leave Lacus and go out with Seren, I'll support you." The other ZAFT elite commented, half jokingly half challengingly. He too was dressed in his pilot suit, and ready to fight and protect Orb.

"Dearka!" Athrun noted, surprised.

"You two just give off that vibe somehow. But you shouldn't make her wait too long if you decide to do that. A woman as good as her will get noticed." The blonde one advised. His friend looked down pensively. "Well, seeing a woman get stolen right under your nose would be interesting too." He taunted again. His comrade glared. "Just joking. But this is really tough. You got orders to take those back, right? I guess it's not good, huh? For us ZAFT soldiers to interfere like this..." He evoked their duty again. And Athrun's reaction of repulsion for that 'duty' did not escape him. And after having pitted both options and watched the responses, the answer was rather obvious.

"But I don't want her... I don't want them to die!" Athrun voiced his own will for the first time since he had come. And there was desperation in his voice.

"For once, no, for the first time, we agree on something." Dearka put a comforting hand on his former commander's shoulder. They had an excellent reason to stay... "Well, I guess we both have a woman we want to protect here." He winked and left. Athrun recalled when Dearka had chased that friend of Seren's the previous day, the one whose boyfriend he had killed... Seren had also told him those two seemed to have warmed up to each other.

Outside, the battle was raging. The Archangel's Igelstellung and Gottfried cannons fired almost nonstop, detonating missiles. The 'Valiant' fired and sank two enemy ships. But the Forbidden that had snuck in underwater destroyed an allied ship. The Raider and Calamity blew others. However, the ones they wanted to fight were the three strange MS from yesterday. The Astrays and Strike Daggers engaged in a shoot out. The numbers of Stars Blasters had already been drastically reduced previously but they still posed a threat. The Freedom and Independence entered the battle. Using their full arsenal thanks to the multi-lock system, they instantly disabled dozens of enemies. They fired constantly for a time before Seren went over to the sea where she intercepted another wave of missiles and a few planes. She sunk more ships with her 'Apus' plasma beam cannons before being confronted by Star Blasters. She avoided their cluster bombs and 'Vulcan' guns, blinded them with the Picus 76mm CIWS, incapacited or controlled their flight with the Alcor beam cannons and Vega rail cannons, and finished them with her beam sabers. Kira had also switched to beam sabers against those mass produced units. Those two would dive into the melee and mow the enemies down like wheat.

However, that couldn't last. The Independence dodged the beam from the Forbidden's Hresvelgr plasma induction cannon while the Freedom came under the Calamity's fire. The Raider in MA mode would charge at the ZGMF units while they were distracted by its allies. The three were happy that the two hotshots had returned. Seren brought her fight to close combat with a beam saber and the Antares anti-ship sword and charged at the GAT-252. They clashed. Unfortunately, Kira had been caught between the sea and the nourished fire of both remaining enemies. He could only try to get a few shots from behind his shield. Seren protected herself from the scythe with her 'Antares' sword and attacked with the beam saber. She gashed the backpack of her foe and disengaged to go help Kira. However, when she dodged his curving shots, the Forbidden closed in and attacked. She was given enough time to escape though when a beam boomerang sped towards her enemy, forcing him to parry with the scythe. Kira also received helped when beams blocked the Calamity's path and a backpack forced the Raider off course. The boomerang and Fatum-00 returned to the Justice.

"Seren! Kira!" Zala called them.

"Athrun?! But why?!" The two yelled back. The enemy directed their fire at the red machine.

"We understood what you meant! We know that there are things one must fight to protect!" Athrun shouted. The Independence went to his aid. The Archangel was targeted by a number of planes and defended by the Buster from the shore. While the X103 and X105 covered the ground, the X216 had taken to the sky. Kira, Athrun, and Seren had joined up and were back to back. "Let's get them!" He yelled. His two friends and former enemies agreed. They separated, avoiding the Calamity's beams. The mass produced models ran each other through. The Archangel swerved thirty to port and fired the Gottfried at an enemy ship, destroying it. With a single shot, the Buster eliminated several Strike Daggers thanks to his anti-armor shotgun. Rayner also showed himself to be a most competent pilot of the Blast. Its storm mobility pack and variety of weapons were well utilized. In his hands, this unit proved almost as deadly as it would have been in his Coordinator cousin's.

Meanwhile, the Earth Alliance flagship was observing the raging battle from afar. Azrael wanted to have everything finished before night as he was growing tired of eating onboard. In the Orb control room, Cagalli too was watching the progress on the screen before her. You could see the situation in many different areas, though the war had destroyed several cameras. She was also listening to the reports. It was not good, not good at all! She gritted her teeth and walked away. Kisaka stopped her, having correctly guessed that she wanted to participate more actively, by piloting a mobile suit.

"Let go! I'm going too!" The girl stormed.

"Don't be ridiculous!"

"I can't just sit back while this is happening!" Tears of frustration and helplessness had gathered in her eyes. Simply watching her fellow countrymen fight and die while she was in a safe place... even though she could save more if she fought on the frontlines too...

"A commander should never leave their post! Learn already! What about your promise to Rayner?!" The Colonel yelled. His superior recoiled. Right. She had promised him to stay in the control center, no matter how dire the situation was to become. She recalled his words _"This country can only exist and stay as it is because it has you! You represent this nation's future! A head can't irresponsibly leave its position! Our armies are counting on you to command them!" _And she remembered how softly he had reassured her._ "Don't worry, I'll also take part in this battle as the Blast's pilot. I'll fight and protect those you want to protect in your place."_ And how strongly, tenderly, comfortingly he had then held her in his arms.

"But..." The princess muttered, greatly mollified.

"You mustn't cry either!" Her guardian chided her. As head of the army, she had to stay strong. The bombing continued, whose shockwaves even shook the underground infrastructures, like the council members' observation room.

"Lord Uzumi, preparations are complete. If we had to more hours to execute the operations..." A senator reported.

"That's too long. We don't have that luxury. Okay, I'll go too."

"Alright, then I too." Tobias approached with a small smile.

"Give orders to have the remaining troops gather at Kaguya. We're abandoning Onogoro!" Chief Representative Athha declared.

From outside the territorial borders, a ZAFT submarine was also observing the situation. The captain noted that Orb was putting quite a fight. Le Creuset replied that given their resources, it was only a matter of time though. Yzak was there too. Still, Orb was not a nation to be taken lightly after all. He could understand why the Earth Forces were so desperate to conquer it. He asked if there was any data on those unfamiliar mobile suits. The officer was having his men monitor them but given the distance, the success was limited.

"We may or may not have to face any one of them in the future. Well, stay on it. If nothing else, it'll be information that'll surely please Chairman Zala. Let me know if there are any changes in the present situation." Rau left. He was dutifully followed by the sole remaining member of his team.

"You don't look too pleased, Yzak. I'm guessing you'd like to jump into that battle and fight." The Commander inferred. The teen reacted before denying his superior's conjecture. Orb has refused any support from ZAFT so we really have no choice."

"I'm not really-" The Red Coat tried to protest again, although his thoughts were more visible than he imagined. He might not be especially fond of Orb due to its elusiveness and support to the Legged Ship, but that nation still otherwise maintained its neutrality to the very end and promoted coexistence between Naturals and Coordinators. On the other hand, there was really no helping those damn Earth Forces, stooping so low as to invade another Earth nation, an officially neutral one, in order to steal its technology, because they wouldn't allow it to remain in peace.

"We'll stay here and observe the battle a bit longer, then return to Carpentaria. You must be sick of staying aboard this ship since Panama. You won't have to wait much longer." The masked man stated. However, that wasn't the only thing bothering the young one who wanted to know what the deal with that girl was. If she was a captive, shouldn't she be treated as such? "Yzak, there's more to war than just shooting each other. I've been looking for a key, and now I've found it. Or so I believe." He smiled mysteriously and left his clueless and disconcerted subordinate.

The invasion force pressed forward into Orb territoty, their numbers overcoming the fervent and powerful defenses like a tide. That was when the retreat orders were passed down to the Orb troops, including the Archangel.

"Yes! Reprensentative Athha wants the Archangel to leave the front immediately and go to Kaguya!" Sai relayed. "It's the location of Orb's mass driver facilities."

The Freedom evaded the Forbidden's heavy scythe and gained distance. The Justice ducked and disconnected from its Fatum-00, avoiding the Raider's spherical breaker. It fired, and acting as separate attack unit, the Fatum-00 sped towards the enemy and destabilized it. Thanks to its HIMAT mode, the Independence dodged the Calamity's ranged attacks, making it deplete its energy while keeping its attention on her. And her strategy soon bore fruits. The alert rang in the X131. Orga looked at the power indicator.

"Damn! You stupid mobile suit! Out of energy already?!" He swore.

"It's because you're firing all over the place, you dumbass!" Clotho mocked as he shot at the Justice with his shield-mounted double cannon. It hit the water.

"What did you say?!"

"If you're leaving then go back on your own. I don't care." Buer taunted again. But suddenly, the red gundam surged from the water wave right in front of him. Athrun roared and slashed, slicing the Mjolnir mace that exploded. The X371 barely escaped in time. It transformed into a MA and flew away. Sabnak called Clotho an idiot. Seren detached the Aquila backpack and also used it as a separate unit to catch the Calamity in a pincer attack. She cut through a "Schlag" 125mm high-energy long-range beam cannon as well as the "Todesblock" 337mm plasma-sabot bazooka. The enemy let go and Seren had to get away to avoid damage from the explosion. The EA machine took advantage of that to flee and hitch a ride on the mobile amor, which angered its pilot.

"Shut up! We're returning to recharge! It can't be helped, right?!" Orga silenced his protests. Buer swore his assent. Kira was avoiding his opponent's shots while his beams were deflected by the Forbidden's special shielding system. However, the power level of the X252 had also dropped into the red. Shani spotted his allies leaving the area. Gritting his teeth, Kira used that moment of distraction to charge. The Forbidden attacked too. The Freedom parried and deflected the Nidhoggr scythe with the shield and slashed with a beam saber. The Earth Forces unit got away though, and the beam only struck the sea, causing the water to splash up. The droplets fell back. Athrun and Seren joined up with Kira. All three of them were breathing hard.

The Calamity, Raider, Forbidden entered the hangar of the flagship. The captain ordered to hurry with the replenishment. Azrael seemed rather disappointed. Those guys... they still didn't show results despite having their powers enhances significantly. They were still not good enough.

"Leave Orb?!" Ramius exclaimed, shocked. The Archangel was dry-docked right next to the mass driver for emergency repairs and resupplying. But she, Mu, and Neumann had been summoned to the control room of the military facilities. "Uzumi-sama... you're telling us to run away?"

"I'm sure you realize by now... it's only a matter of time before Orb is lost."

"F-father, what are you saying?" Cagalli asked with desparation. Orb could not be lost! Seren looked down. Tobias placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. And Rayner clenched his fists, though nothing showed on his face. He had changed into a uniform. Dearka was there too, leaning against the wall.

"Our people have been evacuated. There are other means to support them." Tobias voiced as a reassuring note. Kira and Athrun entered.

"We'll take over from here." The Chief Representative declared. "But even if we were to lose Orb, there are things we must never lose. The mastermind behind those actions taken by the Earth Alliance is the leader of Blue Cosmos, Muruta Azrael." At these words, the two ZAFT soldiers gasped, and Murrue hung her head, guilty of her past allegiance to the Atlantic Federation.

"In addition, the PLANTs are now controlled by Patrick Zala, a man who believes Coordinators are a new species unto themselves." Representative Ledford added. It was Athrun's turn to lower his head. Dearka, Kira and Seren concernedly looked at him. The girl made a move towards him but stopped herself.

"The way things are progressing, the world will be caught between two forces that refuse to recognize the existence of the other. Is that an acceptable future for you? If you envision an alternative, then take this light of hope that we have lit and guide us to a new future. You'll be once again taking a hard road, but I'm sure you understand, Murrue Ramius." The Orb leader looked kindly upon the young captain. The woman closed her eyes and turned to Mu who smiled encouragingly at her.

"Though it is small, we believe that this light of hope will not be put out." She replied. Uzumi-sama told them to hurry up with the preparations. The officers of the Archangel left.

"We will open the path." Seren said. "But the world will need you after the war. WE will need you. There's only so much we can do. We are protectors, you are constructors. More than sinking with your ship, you have a responsibility of building the new era. During times of change too mileposts are needed. The foundation must be firm. That's why Orb's steady leadership is necessary." Although she was developing her arguments, franctically trying to find a way to get her will across, her true message was simple and desperate: now's not the time for you to die!

"What are you saying now? I didn't raise you to rely on other. No, actually, I can't say I raised you at all. You grew up on your own. You're no longer a child. You're all no longer children, but perfectly self-reliant people. So let me watch the moment you take flight." Tobias started sternly before proudly and tenderly gazing at all the teenagers in turn. But that didn't pacify his child much.

"I mean-awawa..." Though she couldn't say more as her father pulled on her cheek.

"You mean you don't even believe your father? Did you forget I'm a Ledford too? Of course I have a secret plan. If you're my daughter, don't worry needlessly, and simply do that which you must and have set out to do. We'll see each other again once this is over. I promise." He petted Seren's head. She finally calmed down. She wouldn't have let him go unless he had promised and he knew it. Although only with those they held dear, and especially their family, the Ledfords didn't lie. And they didn't promise anything inconsiderately. That was why she believed him. Uzumi also smiled and put his hand on his daughter's blonde head. He and Tobias looked at Kira who stared back cluelessly, then at each other, and the two girls. Seren's eyes went from one to the other. What was up with them? Whatever. She'd think about that later. There were more important things. She grabbed Cagalli's hand and took her away. Rayner and Tobias made eye contact and the young man nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Cagalli, would you please make sure that Uzumi-sama and my father escape safely?" Seren placed her hands on her friend's shoulders.

"Eh? But didn't Tobias-sama promise-"

"I know! I know... but..." She trembled, and hung her head, her hands squeezing the princess's shoulders tighter. She believed. She believed... but... there was nothing she could do about the dread that was still wringing her guts. "Anyway, promise me!" She begged so earnestly, lifting her amber eyes towards Cagalli's. And Cagalli promised. Seren's desperation had scared her. She was rarely this flustered before others and her intuition was usually on the mark.

The staff was rushing to equip the boosters on the Archangel and complete the preparations for its launching to space. The Izumo-class space battleship Kusanagi was set on the catapult of the Kaguya mass driver and loaded with M1 Astrays.

"I didn't expect we'd be going to space..." Mayura said anxiously.

"Suits me just fine!" Juri put on a front.

"Damn Earth Forces!" Asagi cursed.

While the operators of the Forbidden, Calamity and Raider were suffering intensely and silently, the commander of the Earth Forces fleet and captain of its flagship informed Muruta Azrael that the Orb troops were gathering at the Kaguya mass driver, apparently getting ready to make their last stand. The head of Blue Cosmos swore. That damn Athha and his futile struggles... he should just give up already. Although that unsightly side of him was quite amusing. Well, they just had to crush them into dust.

"We're using the Kusanagi's spare boosters instead but they have sufficient power. Fire the Lohengrin as you increase booster power to maximum. That will cause the positronic interference effect which will increase acceleration." Tobias explained on the screen of the Archangel's bridge. For easier understanding, a simulation was showing on the computers. The positronic interference effect was the production of a cone of positrons caused by the firing of a positron blaster cannon that literally disintegrate the atmosphere in front of the ship, eliminating air resistance and allowing it to achieve greater velocity without the risk of burning up in the earth's atmosphere. However, the procedure was only used as an emergency exit.

"Sure, nothing's keeping us from returning to Carpentaria. But our enemy is the Earth Alliance either way." Dearka commented, voicing his intention to stay with the Archangel from now on. Seren, Kira, Athrun, and him had joined up before their gundams.

"But depending on how things turn out, we'll likely have to fight ZAFT too." Seren pointed out. "It can't be alright with you."

"...It's true I don't feel too well about..." The Buster's pilot admitted after a pause. "But after everything that happened in Alaska, Panama, and Orb, and the use of nuclear energy again..." He stared at the Indepence, Justice, and Freedom before turning back to them. "I understood that war was not what I had imagined it to be. I no longer blindly trust ZAFT, and of course not the Earth Forces either. And... there are people I want to protect here..."

"Rather than 'people' why don't you be honest and say 'Miriallia'?" Ledford bluntly inquired with a smile.

"You... I didn't ask for your analysis!" Blushing, Dearka tried to make a grab at her but she eluded him, laughing. Her childhood friends smiled slightly.

Watching the Kusanagi being fixed to its booster, Uzumi asked how things were going for the Archangel. He was told they were in the final stages of the booster check. Athha ordered them to hurry. They didn't have time. Cagalli was pleading him and Tobias to leave with her.

"Athrun Zala of ZAFT... huh?" Athrun muttered, pensive again, remembering Lacus's words when he had seen her after he had learned of her 'treason'. "She knew all along." And then Seren's words from just the previous day, when they had talked after the first battle for Orb. "And so did you." He turned to Seren with a smile. "I always thought you were supposed to follow orders from your nation and defeat the enemy. I thought there was no other way, and that it would bring a quick end to this war..." He recalled his father, and Yuri Amalfi... and how, at the cost of their principles, of everything else, caught in the spiral of war, they were developing nuclear weaponry. "But the people of the Archangel, of Orb warmly welcomed me even though I was an enemy. I don't want to let them die. But then... who, what should we really be fighting against?"

"Come with us, Athrun." Kira offered with a smile. "We'll search for the answer together."

"And you too." Seren wrapped her arms around Dearka's and Athrun's shoulders. "The answers will probably in the battles and lives we'll live from now on." The girl smiled too. And the two former ZAFT soldiers could not help but smile, heartened by the words of the ex EA pilots, who used to be their enemies.

The Calamity, Forbidden and Raider left their ship.

The Kusanagi was preparing for take off. The weather data in the Kaguya area was all within permissible level. Suddenly, the radar detected the approach of mobile suits. The alarm rang. Uzumi ordered Ramius-dono to take off immediately.

"Understood! Kira-kun, Seren-kun?"

"We'll provide backup for the takeoff. Archangel, please take off!" Kira replied as he and Seren were activating their machines.

"What about the Kusanagi?" The girl asked.

"I'll send it out right away! Thanks!" The Chief Representative answered.

"It's going to be an aerial battle. The Buster's not equipped for it. Dearka, board the Archangel." Athrun commanded. The blonde Coordinator clicked his tongue but obeyed.

"Oh my, it's not the 'Legged Ship' anymore?" Seren teased. Athrun replied it wasn't exactly the time for that. "No, anytime is fine. You gotta laugh whenever you can, because you don't know when you'll no longer be able to." The engines started and the Archangel slowly lifted off.

"Raise bow to 20. Lohengrin standby." Murrue instructed.

Cagalli was still begging her father and Tobias to escape together with them. And as it didn't seem she would leave unless they did too, Uzumi grabbed her wrist and dragged her away.

"We have our responsibilities and you have yours! If we're left without anyone to carry out our hopes and will, we're finished! Why can't you understand that?!" He yelled. Cagalli was crying as she recalled her promise to Seren, knowing she would not be able to fulfil it. She could not save even their fathers. She understood him, but she didn't want to lose the sole family she had left! And even now, Seren was fighting, in order to protect them and give them time to flee!

As the enemy arrived, the Archangel fired the Lohengrin, inducing the positronic interference effect. The ship accelerated, quickly rising through the atmosphere. Orga clicked his tongue but was unable to fire freely as his 'vehicule' the Raider was forced to quickly dodge the Justice's beams.

"Uzumi-sama, uncle, Cagalli!" Rayner exclaimed at the door of the Kusanagi. The Orb leader threw his daughter into his arms.

"Hurry Rayner! And take care of my foolish daughter!"

"And of mine too, while you're at it, though she already has someone." Tobias added. Rayner answered affirmatively. "And Cagalli, will you give that to Seren?" He handed an envelope to her. She snatched it instinctively.

"Tobias-sama! Father!" She cried. Uzumi put a big, warm, and comforting hand on Cagalli's head.

"Don't make that expression. It's unbefitting of the daughter of the Lion of Orb." He gently admonished her. "You're parting from your father, but you're not alone. You have siblings." He reached into his jacket and giver the girl a photo. It showed a beautiful, smiling woman with brown hair holding three babies in her arms; one with brown hair in a blue cover, another with brown hair too in a pink cover, and the last with blonde hair in a pink cover. She took it and turned it after a few seconds. On the back was written 'Kira Seren Cagalli'. She gasped and stared, incredulous, at the two men in front of her who smiled and nodded, confirming what she had guessed. "I feel very fortunate to have been your father." The door closed. Cagalli hit it again and again as the gangway and her father and Tobias retreated.

"Go, Rayner! We're counting on you!" Representative Ledford yelled.

"Departure of all personel except division C, confirmed. All systems go." A man's voice said in a speaker. The Kusanagi sped onto the rails. "Starting the Kusanagi's final launch sequence. May the prayers of Haumea be with you." The man said gravely. This ship had been entrusted with the feelings of all those who had stayed and decided to sacrifice themselves for what they believed in. The Freedom, Independence and Justice were fighting and keeping the enemy away from the Kaguya.

"Hey hey hey hey!" The Calamity had noticed the coming ship.

"Athrun! Seren!" Kira shouted. The two nodded.

"Father! Father!" Cagalli screamed, tears streaming down her eyes. The ZGMF units fired at the EA machines before heading to the Kusanagi. If they didn't reach it in time, they'd be left on Earth. They didn't have the equipment to leave the atmosphere. While avoiding the beams they pushed their gundams to their limits against the wind caused by the acceleration of the ship. Kira, who was first, managed to latch onto the Kusanagi's booster. He reached out to Athrun who slowly closed the distance and caught his hand. Seren who was last, blindly shot in her back, dispersing her pursuers, and allowing her to catch up. She and Athrun roared. The gap closed and closed, and finally, they tightly gripped each other's hand. All three had safely landed onto the Kusanagi. They looked at each other and nodded. Orga, Shani and Clotho gritted their teeth as the Freedom climbed onto the Fatum-00 fired its 'Balanea' plasma cannons and 'Xiphias' rail cannons, the Justice its 'Fortis' beam cannons, and the Independence all its cannons from the recess. All the shots hit the same point in the water. The resulting wave washed the Calamity, Raider and Forbidden away. When they recovered, the Kusanagi was already high in the sky, out of their reach.

From the control room, Uzumi and Tobias were watching the departing ship. Behind them were all the council members of Orb. Everyone was smiling.

"The seeds have flown. We have succeeded. We won't let Orb and this world fall into the hands of those bastards!" He turned a key and pressed a button. A series of explosions occurred that destroyed all the mass driver and Morgenroete facilities. Shock and rage distorted Azrael's face. The destruction of those things negated the very reason of this battle! He might have won, but that was a hollow victory. Kira and Cagalli gasped. Athrun gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowed. Seren let go but Athrun instantly grabbed her and angrily asked her what she was doing.

"Ah... no... I..." She stuttered, not knowing what to answer. She had done that on instinct. She could not justify it! Just like she ignored the reason for her overflowing tears... because her father and Uzumi-sama were definitely alright! He had promised! Cagalli shook her head.

"FATHER!" She screamed, overcome by despair. The Orb leadership disappeared in the flames.

* * *

And so, we left the destroyed land, paying the price for hope. By fumbling along, we'll reach a point where we have a way to understand each other. We can't just do nothing. Do they take away because they're immature? The beauty of the sky, the frailty of life, is it strength to believe? A return to the earth, to the sea. The blasted flowers spread their seeds that ride upon the wind. They used their lives for an unknown hope. Surely, the seeds will return to this soil to take root.


	39. Trembling world

**Phase-39: Trembling world**

On orbit, the Freedom, Justice, Independence, and a few Astrays were overseeing the attachment of a rear and forward modules to the core of the Kusanagi. A unique feature of the Izumo-class was its ability to split itself into five smaller parts. This allowed the Izumo-class to discard the forward and rear modules containing most of the weaponry, and replace them with a separate forward module for atmospheric entry and return into space. The armament modules stayed in orbit to be recovered upon the ship's return. Due to its lower mass compared to the whole ship, the single core could easily be sent up into space using a Mass Driver, making transport between Earth and space much more cost-efficient.

"Docking operations with the Kusanagi are now complete." Kisaka informed the Archangel from his captain seat. Murrue asked about Cagalli's condition. "She's calmed down somewhat, but it's been hard on her. I can't really tell her not to cry, right now."

The Orb princess was sitting on her bed, staring at the photo her father had given her with tears in her eyes. The Astrays returned inside the Izumo-class, and, worried about their friend, so did Kira, Seren, and Athrun. The childhood friends changed into their uniforms and Kira and Seren entered her room. Rayner was already there, an arm around her shoulders. Cagalli's eyes widened when she saw Seren smiling sadly and encouragingly at her, and once more the tears welled up and started flowing uncontrollably. The blonde girl threw herself in the arms of the other young woman and hugged her tight, apologizing over and over. Mixing in with sorrow, dread was now eating at the female Ledford who could only stutter.

"I'm sorry... I couldn't do it... my father, Tobias... they both stayed... I couldn't do it... I'm sorry..." Cagalli sobbed.

"H-hey, don't worry, even if you couldn't confirm their safety, I'm sure they're alright." Seren hugged her back and comforted her, petting her head. "I mean, my father promised, didn't he? You really don't have to feel guilty. You didn't do anything wrong. And I certainly don't want to add to your burden so..." But she stopped herself when she heard the silence, when she saw Cagalli's eyes, and Rayner's, when she saw the truth she didn't want to admit. "Hey! I'm telling you this joke isn't funny!" She was growing angry, desperate... so much that she couldn't help herself. She knew she shouldn't be saying that. She was hurting Cagalli, when she should be supporting her! Also this wasn't her usual denial. Although there were other times when she had refused to face reality, she still had a means and a true will to fight. But now, there was nothing.

"Here." The mourning princess gave her the envelope. The Ledford daughter took it, opened it, and started reading the letter. That was indeed her father's handwriting. But... She crunched the paper after just a few lines and left with a determined expression. Worried that she was about to do something rash as it was exactly what was written on her face, Athrun followed and asked where she was going.

"Where do you think? I'm going back to Orb! I'll search every last rock if I have to!" Seren snapped. Zala grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Don't be crazy! That place is now occupied by the Earth Forces! There's no way you could do something like that! And even if you could go down, how would you come back to us?! We need you here!" He bellowed his rebuke. This wasn't like Seren at all to be this foolish! No matter how sad, angry, or desperate she had been, she had always showed a minimum of level-headedness. But now, she seemed to be throwing everything out of the window. She struggled to break free but he held on.

"You're the one who don't understand! My father would never lie to me! He was the one who taught me to never lie to family and those important to you! He looked right into my eyes and told me the truth. So he must have escaped! He couldn't have lied! He couldn't! He couldn't..." But even as Seren was speaking, she had begun sobbing and dropping on her knees, this time clutching him. Her own words had sounded so false in her own ears... she was choking on them... because deep down, she knew the truth. Seren was strong because her foundation was firm. That foundation was her family, their presence, their love, their teachings. That was the core that held her together and allowed to come back together even if she broke to pieces. Even if she was deeply damaged, she could still patch things and build on it. But if that foundation cracked or crumbled, then so would she. And now, a giant hole had opened under her, in her very core. Birds were free to fly only because they had trees on which they could rest, if not, they'd die of exhaustion. She was caving in, and her only support was Athrun. He tightly embraced her and spoke softly, gently.

"I think you were already aware of this, that's why you asked Cagalli to make sure. If it's to protect their loved ones, I believe everyone, anyone would lie. He trusted you. He trusted that you would be alright, that you would be strong, that you would do what must be done. So, won't you respond to him in kind? Stay. Cry as much as you want. I'll be there for you. And after this, smile again." He tilted her head so she'd look at him. Pacified by the tenderness, faith, and sheer affection in his gaze and that emanated from him, Seren let him help her up, and take her to her room where he stayed with her. He did not let her go a single second.

La Flaga and Ramius-kanchou left the Archangel in a shuttle to join the Kusanagi too. Still, the real problems would begin from now on. Kisaka welcomed them and took them to the bridge. They passed by the three Astray test pilots, Juri, Asagi, and Mayura. They were with a little boy and girl they didn't know and helping them move in this habitat with no gravity. The girl seemed to be more proficient at it. The Kusanagi had been used as a communication ship with Heliopolis so it was equipped with an adequate mobile suit transport system and armor though it did not compare to the Archangel. Mu voiced his admiration of the modular design. A five-parts division, and those on board only needed to commute between the central areas. How efficient. They arrived at the bridge and Murrue noted that the layout was very similar to the Archangel. Kisaka-kanchou corrected. It was the Archangel that was similar as it had been built using the Izumo-class as model. Both had been made by the Morgenroete.

At his request, Chief Erica Simmons brought out a map of this area of space. Mu was surprised to find her here. Well, of course, her presence was necessary for the M-1s to operate in space, an unfamiliar environment. There was also Makabe Ruka and her husband. Their daughter was currently playing with Erica's son and Juri, Asagi, and Mayura. The Orb colonel showed their current location. The PLANTs were in L5 and Artemis (and formerly Heliopolis) in L3.

Seren was lying on her bed, one arm hiding her eyes, while her other hand was grasping Athrun's. The young man was sitting next to her. He asked if she had calmed down.

"A little."

"That's good then."

"Still, for someone wearing your uniform to show such care to one who wears the enemy uniform..."

"Even though you know it's not a matter of uniforms... No, I guess I should say 'no longer a matter of uniforms'... But if you're already joking like this then surely you'll be alright." He smiled and squeezed her hand tighter.

"I'm not joking but desperately clinging to the smallest things that could serve as silver lining. As much as I'd like to, it's not like I can afford the luxury to stay depressed and mourn for long. It's different from the time when I lost my mother and we were children on the moon. It's from now on that things will get difficult." Seren sat up.

"That may be so but it should be fine for you to rest a bit more." Zala concernedly gazed at her.

"No, we must have a meeting now. I'll be fine."

"I still think you shouldn't push yourself this much. And you can't be fine." Athrun cupped her damp cheek, staring straight at her bloodshot and still moist amber eyes. After a time, she put her hand on his and smiled, even though she looked exhausted.

"That's true. I'm not alright. And I certainly won't be for a long time. But I must do something. I must advance. I'm a Ledford. We are more than we appear to be. I'll just have to tap into my hidden reserves. I cannot use my grief and my weakness as an excuse not to fulfill my role. Given the circumstances, that's not acceptable. I cannot shame my family, or all those who used their lives for Orb, for us. And I am not alone, right?"

"And yet, you don't listen to me or anyone." The boy sighed.

"That's one of my charming point." Her smile was now lit with a faint hint of mischief beyond the grief. "Athrun, thank you... for being here." She leant her forehead on his shoulder. He smiled and petted her head. After a time she raised her head and told Athrun to go, she'd come too in a few minutes. The Red Coat left to go see Kira. The girl sat down and took back the letter she read to the end.

_Seren, since you're reading this letter that must mean you found out about my little lie. Sorry about that. I've decided to stay with Uzumi-sama and give my life for this country and its ideals. I don't regret it since I have you, and I know you are alive. _

_And since you're still reading this that must mean someone stopped you from descending back onto Earth to search for me. Was it Athrun? Thank goodness. I didn't want my efforts to be in vain. And I didn't want you to sink to such a bottomless pit of stupidity. You should know what it is that you have to do now. _

_I believe in your judgment, in the path you will choose, in your strength. And I will finally return to Helen. My only regret is that I won't see you bloom and I won't see my grandchildren. But you know, even if you end the war, the real job will start after that. That new era will belong to you. You must be the ones to build it the way you want it to be. Reconstructing, protecting what was gained... it takes much more time and energy than simply fighting a war. It is an endless battle. That's when you'll have to show your grit. The task ahead may be daunting but don't worry, you're not alone. The Ledfords will keep giving you their full support, and you have your real siblings to rely on... You, Kira, and Cagalli... you will be fine as long as you help each other out._

_Even if we're not connected by blood, I'm proud to have been your father. _

_I'm sorry for having hidden the truth from you for sixteen years. _

_Goodbye, my love._

And suddenly her eyes widened. She looked in the envelope and took out something. It was a photo. There was a woman she didn't know. She was smiling tenderly at the three babies she was holding. She looked a bit like Kira but those facial features were more like hers... and those babies... somehow their hair and eye colors seemed familiar... No, it couldn't be... she turned it and froze when she saw three names: Kira Seren Cagalli. She clamped her hand on her mouth, starting to feel sick.

Cagalli had been left alone in her room. She had changed into less formal clothes and now sported normal pants and the maroon blouson with a black collar. She washed her face and took the photo that floated over next to her. She looked at the woman and babies. And she recalled her father's words _"You're parting with your father but you're not alone. You have siblings."_ She turned the picture to look at the names again. But now that she examined it more carefully, that face shape looked a lot like Seren's... Then she heard Rayner's voice calling her and ask if she was okay. She opened the door.

"Rayner... did you know?" The princess questioned weakly.

"About you, Seren, Tobias, and Uzumi-sama?" The young man inquired. Cagalli's silence was a clear enough answer. "I did. But that doesn't change anything. Even if you weren't blood-related, Uzumi-sama was still your father, and Tobias was still Seren's father. They loved you, and the fact that they entrusted you with what was most precious to them is proof enough. That's all that matters. Come on now." He gently comforted her and took her hand, leading her away.

"Head for the L4 colony group?" Captain Ramius said. Seren, Cagalli, Kira and Athrun arrived. As Kisaka remarked, neither ship was going to need supplies for some time but there were limits. Water in particular could become a problem fairly soon. The colony group at L4 was damaged and abandoned shortly after the war began. Though uninhabited, the colonies would prove useful as water sources. Murrue was reminded of Junius 7, from which the Archangel had taken water. It had affected her more than she had let on. Mu reassured her. It was different from that time.

"There are still a number of colonies functioning in L4." Athrun spoke, his tone and expression serious and professional, surprising everyone who turned to him. "Long ago, after receiving information about a suspicious group residing here, ZAFT came here to research the area. There are no longer any resident but there should still be some colonies with operational facilities."

"Then it's decided." Kira smiled. The other youths nodded but the adults had rather unsettled expressions.

"But... are you sure you're okay with this?" La Flaga questioned Athrun. "Of course, not just you, that goes for the other ZAFT soldier as well. I saw you fight at Orb. And the circumstances were as they were. I'm not going to argue about what uniforms people are wearing but depending on how things progress, there's a chance that we could be fighting against ZAFT. It's not like what happened in Orb. Are you prepared for it? You're Patrick Zala's son, right?"

"Why should it matter whose son he is?" Cagalli interfered after a time. She wanted to support Seren and Athrun. She had seen them suffering and now those two had finally a chance to be together! If Seren was not going to say anything, then she would!

"Leaving one's own forces is a lot more serious than you might imagine! It's even more so, if your own father is the top of that country." Mu harshly reproved the naïve princess. Athrun looked down at this. Seren had raised the same questions... about fighting ZAFT and about their uniforms... Kira and Seren worriedly gazed at him. She had not been able to speak up. Although her heart was the same as Cagalli's, no, even more, so much more... she was too rational to simply say whatever she wanted. She had already considered that matter and agreed with Mu. "Unless you believe in your own side's cause, you can't possibly fight a war. It's not that simple when you turn that belief around! Unlike Kira and Seren, he's an official ZAFT soldier!" Then he turned to Zala. "Sorry to force this on you, but if we're to fight together, I want to rely on you. Well? Can I?"

"In Orb, no... even in the PLANTs, and on Earth... I saw, heard, and thought many things. But what is right, and what is wrong? What do I understand, and what don't I? I don't even have answers to these basic questions. The only thing that is clear to me is that the world I hope for is the same world that you people hope for. Right now, that's what I feel." Athrun replied.

"You're really strong-minded. Nothing like Kira. More like Seren I'd say." The Strike pilot praised with a smile. Kira good-heartedly commented that it had always been like this, ever since they were little. Seren sighed.

"I feel like I've said that already but it's not that we're particularly strong-minded, it's just Kira who's too flimsy. Well, the future belongs to the young generation, to us. We're the ones going to live it after all. This future, we can only grasp it ourselves. We have no choice but to change this situation that has lasted for over half a century with our own strength, and build the world we want to live in with our own hands." Seren summed up, speaking of this unnervingly difficult enterprise like it was nothing. Thinking about chances and difficulty was pointless. They simply HAD to succeed.

"That's Seren, to be able to say such things so easily. Women these days are really the strongest, coolest, and most reliable!" Mu noted impressed.

"Yeah. We guys better shape up if we don't want to lose." Rayner agreed.

"Eh? Ah, no, that's not what I-" The dark-haired teen began. Somehow, it seemed her words had been taken wrongly, she hadn't meant to sound carelessly high-handed... But then her cousin interrupted her. They were teasing her and had understood what she wanted to say.

"Anyway, it's true the responsibilities Orb has entrusted us with are enormous."

"Indeed. Frankly, with only two vessels, it's practically impossible. But even so, are you okay with it?" La Flaga gave his opinion. But even as he said that, he clearly had no intention of giving up. And the others agreed. You could say it was a little too late to ask that.

"Let's have faith. Even if it's small, a bright light will not disappear, right?" Kira said.

"There are people in the PLANTs who think the same way." Athrun added. He was talking about Lacus, the 'pink princess', as La Flaga called her. Yamato told them she was Athrun's fiancée. Seren's face closed like a clam and Cagalli worriedly and compassionately looked at her. "She's currently being sought after as a traitor... by my father."

"Where did we want to go? What did we want? Even today, loved ones are dying on the battlefield. How much longer must we live in such sadness? We must end this struggle." Lacus aired her message in the PLANTs where a communication war had started between her and Chairman Zala. That was her way of resisting pacifically. Soldiers were combing the cities searching for her. A group arrived at one of her former hideouts and shot the broadcasting device. To counter her, Patrick Zala was also making regular appearances on TV.

"Do not allow yourselves to be swayed by the words of Lacus Clyne! She is a traitor who established contact with the Earth Forces and sold vital information to them! Nobody wants to fight. But think about how we got into this situation in the first place! Take a moment to remember... think of the oppression perpetrated by the Naturals against us Coordinators out of envy for our developed abilities... even though it was the Naturals who created us in the first place! And yet, think of the repeated selfish, unreasonable demands made on us by the nations that sponsored the PLANTs all because of their desire for our advanced technology! Think of that single nuclear missile shot at Junius 7 as their answer to our rise against them! This is a war that we have to win! Defeat will result in a future even darker than our past!" Everyone listened... the people in the streets, the parks, the students at the military acadamy, the family of those who had died, like Miguel Aimann's mother and second son... even while the Chairman's troops had managed to corner Siegel Clyne in a house. And after killing the exceedingly few soldiers protecting him, they shot him dead.

"People from Earth are no different from us. Coordinators are in no way a different species or an evolved form of humans. Even with the reform of marriage regulations, fewer children are being born into our world. We are already unable to build a future. How is that an advanced species?" Lacus broadcasted. Marting DaCosta joined her after a patrol.

"We mussn't be swayed by information tainted with bad intentions! We are now a new species different from the Naturals! Our advanced intelligence will eventually solve the many problems we currently face!" Zala declared adamantly in retaliation. It was not long later that in his office he received the report that they had managed to find and shoot down Siegel Clyne. However, as he pointed out, the daughter was still alive. How much longer did they plan to allow this ludicrous broadcast to air?

"Let us drop our weapons and find a path. What is it that we were pursuing? What is happiness? Is it spending day after day fighting? Is happiness really waiting for us in the future of continuous battles even after we've lost those we love?" The idol questioned her listeners about their beliefs, calling them to look inside themselves... and choose by themselves what they wanted.

"Though difficult, we must fight today in order to greet a peaceful, bright-" But in a room of the Carpentaria base, Rau Le Creuset turned the TV off. He stood up, commenting that Chairman Zala seemed to have one hell of a time trying to keep Lacus Clyne under control, although he couldn't imagine it had anything to do with his orders to bring them back. Flay was there too, listening, gazing at the man who had saved her in Alaska. Surely, because she had never considered the feelings of Coordinators, all this was new to her. Yzak though still couldn't believe Lacus could be a traitor. And from her expression, Red Coat Shiho Hahnenfuß, the newest addition to the Le Creuset Team, was of the same opinion. The Commander noted the Clyne followers were using her for that very reason. Many refused to believe she'd do wrong. They shouldn't allow themselves to be tricked too. The many thoughts of many people got tangled in times of war. They must never lose sight of what they're fighting against.

Lacus ended the communication and sighed. They had to move again. DaCosta deeply apologized. She reassured him and asked whether there had been anything new. The aide informed her that the Earth Forces had attacked Victoria and Orb. Orb's mass driver was destroyed but the Earth Forces had taken control of Victoria's. The idol recalled that many ZAFT troops had been stationed at Victoria. Martin explained that the Earth Alliance had attacked them with their new mobile suits. In that case, it was another sign to Lacus that they had to hurry. Outside, boxes were loaded into a vehicle. Other men in boxes were surveying the place. A man came out of the house, then DaCosta, and Lacus, her head covered by a hood. It was then that Waltfeld's subordinate received a call. It was about Siegel-sama... His tone sowed dread in the girl's heart.

At Victoria, soldiers were combing the battlefield, finishing the ZAFT survivors off. They looked up as a carrier plane prepared for descent. Inside, Muruta Azrael praised Captain Sutherland for this key victory. He politely faked modesty. The Strike Daggers were very well made weapons. The only reason there were difficulties at Orb was because of those unexpected machines. The Blue Cosmos leader agreed there were still many problems they had to face. Still, considering they had attacked with the Calamity, Forbidden, Raider, he had never expected to have that much difficulty. Orb was truly a wicked nation. What could have been going on in the heads of that leadership? Sutherland believed that country had been trying to escape the war and reap the benefits. What a cowardly nation.

"I understand a lot of their technologies come from the PLANTs. Actually it's possible that those three machines were made by ZAFT."

"In either case, we must do something about it. Can we get our hands on them?"

"So that's the reason you're personally going to space?"

"I can't help but think that those machines... could be running on nuclear power..." The young man smirked with ambition, shocking the officer. "I have no proof, but that much power is impossible with anything else developped to date." He reasoned. The Captain considered it. It was the Coordinators that developped the N-jammers. Surely it was possible for them to make something that would nullify it. However, if that was true, there could be serious consequences. The X371, X252, and X131 left the plane, flew over to the space shuttle they boarded. "Hey, hey, are you doubting me, the Director of the National Defense Industry Association? And remember, we're the weaker creatures here. We must keep those beasts with the fangs either on a leash or in a cage in order to stay out of danger."

"We can't let things get out of control in space by letting them loose."

"I'll do my best to slay them." Muruta embarked in the shuttle with other officers. Shani, Orga and Clotho also seated themselves in the passengers area. And the shuttle sped on the rails of the Victoria mass driver and rocketed to the sky.

In the Kusanagi, Kira was giving advice to the M-1 pilots while Athrun was in the lounge, before the Justice, his head down, deep in thought. He was remembering Representative Athha's and Representatice Ledford's words _"The mastermind behind those actions taken by the Earth Alliance is the leader of Blue Cosmos, Muruta Azrael." ... "In addition, the PLANTs are now controlled by Patrick Zala, a man who believes Coordinators are a new species unto themselves."_ He closed his eyes in frustration.

Seren and Rayner were floating in the hallways of the Kusanagi. The young woman was boring a hole in her cousin's back. Then she looked down, wavered, and looked up again with determination.

"Rayner, I've thought of something funny. Among the Ledfords, there are Coordinators and Naturals, yet you can always tell who's related to whom. But only I am different... I have none of the biological markers that indicate that I have blood ties to the Ledfords." She began. Rayner stopped and turned to her. "But it can't be. That's completely absurd, right? Surely I haven't looked deep enough. And this letter, do you have any idea what's written in there? Father claimed we weren't blood relatives. Was that his idea of a last joke? You seem strangely knowledgeable of things I didn't have the slightest clue about..." She provoked him, waiting for him to deny her. But he stayed silent and kept looking at her. She insisted, desperation etched painfully deep into her face, dripping from her voice. "See, isn't it funny? Come on, laugh and mock me, say that I'm stupid and incompetent..." That was what he would have normally done. "Laugh... LAUGH!" She begged with all she had. But he didn't.

"Seren..." He whispered, reaching out to her. So that was true after all... and he knew... She had been the only one kept in the dark... that she wasn't related... or that Tobias would stay behind... Given their rule not to lie to family, there was only one thing she could conclude... But if she wasn't Seren Elvira Ledford, then who was she? Who was she connected to? What were those connections? With moist eyes, she left and Rayner went after her to explain to her, reassure her, calm her down... She went to the lounge where Kira and Athrun already were. She told them she wanted to leave now, return to the Archangel and not stay here a minute longer. Rayner caught up to her and tried to talk to her again, the two others wondering what it was about. It was then that Cagalli entered.

"Ah... hum... Kira, Seren, can I talk to you for a bit?" The princess looked down fearfully. There was a pause. The Ledfords instantly guessed what it was about and Rayner went to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up and he was smiling tenderly and encouragingly at her. Feeling it was going to be a conversation in which he had no say, Athrun tried to leave but Seren grabbed his arm.

"Stay. It's something you should know too." She said softly. Her hand was trembling. Cagalli went to Kira, and after a moment of hesitation, took the photo out of her pocket and handed it to him. He accepted it and looked at it. Athrun and Seren joined him. Yamato asked who it was. She told him to look at the underside. He turned the picture and the boys gasped when they saw the names written. They stared at the girls in disbelief. They were hanging their heads.

"My father gave it to me just before we took off on the Kusanagi. He said I wouldn't be alone... that I have siblings!" She sharply looked up. Rayner came to hug her from behind. She turned around and held onto him.

"And this was in the enveloppe my father asked Cagalli to give to me." Seren took the envelope and pulled the photo. It was exactly the same. "And he also wrote that." She gave the letter to Kira for him, Athrun, and Cagalli to read. And their shock grew again. Cagalli and Seren were both given that photo and those words... but... how could it be? The Orb princess asked what that could mean but Kira hadn't got a clue. He looked just as upset and shaken. "But if we're real siblings, then who are we exactly? Who are our parents? What does that make us? What happened? I've never been told a single thing! I don't even know this woman!" Seren held her head. Even if she was lost, as long as she remembered who she was, as long as she had a past, as long as she could look back, she would never lose herself. That was what she had always thought, a certainty that would never change. But now, just as she had found her way and started walking it, the ground behind her, under her, was crumbling. She curled her fists, painfully clutching her brown hair. Cagalli had started sobbing, and following her lead, tears welled up in Seren's eyes. Rayner sighed.

"We're not blood-related. So what? Does it change anything to the time spent with us? Who raised you all those years? Who fed you? Who changed your dirty diapers? Who loved you? Who picked on you when you were a child? Who doted on you? Who taught you what you know? Who worked their asses off so you could have a peaceful life? Who sacrificed themselves so you could live, for your future? Do you really think we would have done all that if we didn't consider you as family? Do you believe the bond we have is that shallow? We didn't tell you because you didn't need to know. We didn't want you to overthink like you're doing. Don't say things that would hurt Helen's and Tobias' or Uzumi-sama's feelings you ungrateful brats!" Rayner stormed harshly. The girls looked down, slightly pacified. Cagalli stuttered. The men who had been lost were such grand figures to the nation, and first and foremost, to their daughters. He had sworn to take care of them. So in their place, he would be strong, and act as a stake to those girls, so they'd grow uprightly. He was going to pull them up!

"Then do you know something about that woman, and what happened?" Athrun questioned in Seren's place. He had placed a comforting hand on her back and pulled her to him.

"Sorry, I don't. I think Tobias, Helen and Uzumi-sama knew, as well as my parents. But they refused to tell me anything and wouldn't let me dig around. Maybe it's something that's better left unknown. Maybe it's better for you to believe that your life began with us. Well, if you're meant to know, then you will. So you shouldn't wear yourself out worrying about it."

"That's right. In any case, this doesn't tell us a thing, and thinking about it now isn't going to help." Kira agreed. The grief-stricken women looked at him. Seren was strong. She had always supported him. But now, even though he was agitated too, it was his turn to support her and Cagalli. Not only had learned something so upsetting but also lost their family, unlike him. Of course they would falter. "Cagalli, your father is Uzumi-sama. And Seren, yours is Tobias-sama." He smiled encouragingly. The princess whispered his name. Seren said nothing and floated away.

On orbit, the booster of Azrael's shuttle detached itself and drifted away. As usual, he was smiling confidently. Sutherland was sitting next to him. And as usual, Clotho was absorbed by a shooting game on his PlayStation Portable, Orga by his book, and Shani by the music from his headphones.

"You haven't been back home for a while now, have you, Yzak? Return to your family and let them know you're okay." Le Creuset sat down on the window-seat of the shuttle. He and his new team were also getting ready to leave Earth. The boy thanked him and glared at the red-haired Natural in front of him who was just standing there like an idiot, looking lost.

"Sit down already!" He angrily prodded her. The twit whimpered and scurried like a frightened mouse to sit next to the commander. Joule snorted and sat down on the other side of the aisle slightly in the back. Shrinking on her seat, Flay fearfully glanced back at him.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. You'll be safe as long as you stay by my side. I'll protect you. So don't worry about a thing, Flay." Rau reassured her with such a gentle voice and smile. Those words... she always fell for them right away... and it was her father's voice, her father's kindness... The plane took off, shaking as it strained against the gravity. The girl tightly shut her eyes and clung onto the blonde man like a scared baby girl onto her daddy. Le Creuset smiled, scoffing slightly.

Kira, Athrun and Seren were activating their units under Cagalli's and Rayner's gaze.

"Kira, Seren, shouldn't you two stay with them?" Zala called them.

"Rayner's with her so it's fine. And I can't stay with them longer than that" Seren replied.

"Yeah, if we're together, that would make us think about it all the more. I'll be fine. So let's leave Cagalli to Rayner, and Athrun, let us make sure Seren will be alright... just like back then." Kira said, with a smile.

"Yeah." Athrun smiled too.

"Hey! Even if I'm grateful to you two, I still don't like the way you're putting it!" The dark haired girl shot back, a bit (falsely) vexed. Well even if it was useless now to try and keep up that image of the 'always strong and reliable one' and she knew she no longer needed it, she still couldn't help it. But innerly, she was smiling too. They were back to how they were before. They were there for her. And despite the grief and confusion she felt, those two were her source of joy. And she felt that as long as they were there, with her, she'd be alright. She needed them. She could not afford to lose them too. She was going to protect them, no matter what. They left the Kusanagi and headed to the Archangel. But suddenly, Athrun touched them.

"Seren, Kira, once we return to the Archangel, do you think I could borrow a shuttle? I want to make a visit to the PLANTs. I feel I must have a serious, proper talk with my father."

"WHAT?! Athrun!" Seren could not help but exclaim.

"Athrun... but..." Yamato protested.

"I know! But... he is my father!" Chairman Zala's son hung his head and closed his eyes, anguish written over his face. After a time, Kira agreed. He'd talk to Murrue-san and the others about it. Athrun thanked him and apologized for the trouble. Seren said nothing. But she was trembling in fear. A hatch was opened and they entered.

In the lunar base of the Earth Forces, full of mass-produced Nelson-class warships and Drake-class escort ships, a sole vessel was different. It was the LCAM-01XB Dominion. The second Archangel-class battleship. The red parts were the same but the white sections of the first ship were painted a very dark bluish gray on the second one, and a lighter shade of this hue had been used for the other parts instead of the silver/gray utilized on the Archangel. It looked like a humongous and ominous storm cloud. And several teams were called from other ships to help and finish its construction. It was given top priority.

A young woman entered an office and saluted.

"Lieutenant Commander Natarle Badgiruel of the Seventh Fleet, reporting." She said. The Rear Admiral nodded and stood up.

"I'm hereby assigning you as Captain of the second ship of the Archangel-class, Dominion!"

* * *

Even if they vanish utterly, they will remain as a memory, connected by an unseen thread to those who will take over the safeguarding of love. Their light will illuminate our tomorrow. This feeling, becoming tears, is conveyed. We try to piece the 'we' of yesterday and the 'we' of today together. This proof that we're alive, that they were alive, we must carve it in our hearts and go to the future. We are trying to change unchangeable things. If there is nothing, let's create it ourselves.

* * *

**Author's note: Okay, I know there were hints about it, notably in chapter 26, so it shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise but concerning the latest developments about family relations, sorry if you find them too cliché, but even if they are, I hope that I at least brought them well, that my writing did justice to those emotional scenes and you're not too disappointed in me.**


	40. Hope springs eternal

**Phase-40: Hope springs Eternal**

On the Archangel, after they had received Murrue-san's permission to borrow a shuttle (to the Indepedence pilot's silent but strong reluctance and vacillation) Seren singled Athrun out in an empty room. She didn't know what to do... allow him or forbid him to go... she wanted to do both. So maybe if she talked to him...

"Do you really get how dangerous it is for you to return utterly empty-handed, without even the Justice?! No... well... I understand you want to talk to your father, of course you do, you love him, and I also want you to go and succeed... but what if he's already gone too far? What if victory is already more important to him than his own son? What if you get arrested?! What if you get injured?! By your own family... that's... And... and what if you get killed?!" Flustered beyond belief, she was completely panicking, stammering, holding her head, her chin, her arms... Fear, doubts, distress, concern, care were twirling about in confusion and seemed to be oozing from her. "No! I want to hope! I want to believe! If there's a chance to save him it should be taken! But if you go and... that's... Athun! I-" And just as she looked up at him with that pleading and desperate expression, he took her face in his hands and his lips came suddenly on hers and he silenced her with a kiss full of strong love. She was scared of losing him... because she loved him... so much that she was losing herself. Her feelings had properly reached him. And that was also why he had to reassure her. He didn't let go until the girl grew completely still, recovered from her surprised, closed her eyes, and finally returned the kiss. Then he hugged her tightly and comfortingly. She was scared of losing him too after everything she had recently lost.

"I'm sorry. I know, but I'm still going. I have to. Even though, I really don't want to leave you, especially at such a time." He apologised as he squeezed her tighter.

"Idiot, that's not something you had to apologize over..." She looked away, her cheeks and ears burning.

"But I promise to return to you no matter what."

"To me?"

"Didn't you know? My engagement to Lacus has been cancelled. My father did it when he thought she had betrayed the PLANTs. Well, even if he hadn't, I would have called it off myself." Athrun slightly pulled away to look at her face again, his hands on her shoulders. He smiled tenderly, with just a hint of naughtiness – so unusual on his part – that appeared to light his whole expression.

"That's not really-" She tried to say (lie) that it wasn't that important, that it didn't bother her, to put a front, but he placed a finger on her lips, silencing her again.

"It is important to me. I love you. That's why I'm sorry. I don't think I can keep my promise to stay your friend. Simply being your friend is no longer enough..." His smile turned so simply heart-melting that Seren could not help but return it. She took his hand, putting it away.

"You're really an idiot after all, apologising for something like that..." Her moist amber eyes were glistening with a new light. And they kissed again, softly at first then as he slipped his tongue more deeply, mesmerizingly, lovingly. They loved each other. They could finally show it, prove it. They could finally be honest with themselves, with each other, with everyone. That was why she didn't need to be scared. As long as she was there, he wouldn't selfishly die and abandon her. Then she looked down and finally agreed to let him go. "But there are conditions!" She warned. "You must not die! That goes without saying. You must not be overly reckless! Going there alone like this is already reckless enough. And you must escape as soon as it gets dangerous! Also, I'll accompany you in the Independence up to Jachin Due. Oppose any of these conditions and I won't let you board!" She declared. He smiled and agreed. She hugged him. She was still scared. He could feel it. But she had decided to trust him even though she was so insecure now. She understood him. And they were looking in the same direction. "I love you too." She whispered. He tilted her head. Right, she needed him, but he needed her just as much. He promised again to return to her and kissed her again.

Kira, Seren, and Athrun arrived at the single-seater shuttle where Dearka was waiting. Zala told him to pilot the Justice if he didn't return. But the latter refused. Athrun turned to look at Seren who stared back at him, looked away, looked down. Even though she had taken her decision, she was fidgetting, still unsure. She didn't want to let him go. It was too dangerous. She was certain it wasn't going to go well. But in the same time, she wanted him to go, talk to his father, she wanted to hope that he would listen. She knew that the leader of a country had responsibilities that feelings for family could not overrule, but after all, she wanted to try betting on the possibility that Patrick still loved his son more than he thirsted for revenge, or at least that he still had such feelings... that Athrun was more to him than just a tool...

"Be careful." She said in a small voice, her head down before looking up at him with a pleading expression.

"Yeah." He petted her head with a tender smile. He boarded the craft and departed. She and Kira went it their own units and activated them.

"Freedom, launching to escort shuttle."

"Independence, heading out to babysit the two reckless kids."

The captain permitted them to leave. Everyone kept quiet but really, Seren could be just as reckless, although in her case it was in a more 'controlled' way.

In the PLANTs, Ezalia Joule had taken over the media more skilfully than her superior Chairman Zala. Since everyone loved Lacus and it was so difficult for them to believe she would do wrong, she stressed the fact that the idol was only being manipulated and taken advantage of because she loved peace. The governement only wanted to save her from the evil Naturals and was calling on the people to help them. While in his office, the chairman was making an important call. He told his interlocutor that Le Creuset had got him the information he wanted. He had no idea why the Freedom and Independence ended up in Orb. Athrun might know something but that fool had yet to submit a single report.

"But it is a top-secret mission, is it not? Careless communition is one way information can be leaked." The man on the end of the line replied.

"Those overconfident Naturals have been flocking to the moon. We must crush them this time. Completely."

"I understand. I shall give every effort to repay His Excellency for giving a man like me another chance at life." He swore. Indeed, in Lybia he had failed to finish the Legged Ship, his troops had been annihilated, and not only had his lost his duel against the enemy pilot but he had also lost an eye, an arm, and the woman he loved and whose photo never left his side. She had been a truly beautiful woman with dark blue hair and two yellow bangs on the front. Given this painful defeat, he should have received a punishment just as severe.

At the mobile suit factory, Yzac was staring at the new model of GuAIZ. It was the latest model from MMI. The mechanic proudly told him this one was becoming more and more common on the assembly line. If the manufacturing progressed smoothly surely the Naturals would be eliminated from space in to time! The teen slightly narrowed his eyes. When the mechanic turned to say they were counting on him, to his surprise the elite pilot had already started leaving. Yzak clicked his tongue a bit, as if angry that lately all everyone had talked about was eradicating the Naturals. This wouldn't be a war but a genocide. Meantime, Le Creuset took medecine pills with water. Flay took the tray with the glass and water pitcher away. When she left, he played a cd containing all the data of the Justice, Freedom, and Independence... and looked very interested by the N-jammer cancellers...

In another part of the city, DaCosta ran into an appartement. The man who had opened him looked around carefully before closing the door. The room was full of cables and (sometimes voluminous) electronic equipment. There were several laptops on a table and on the ground that were constantly monitored. Well, that was the minimum required in order to keep tabs on everything that was happening in the PLANTs. Lacus thanked him for his efforts and asked about the situation in the city. Actually it wasn't good. Ezalia Joule's performance had left the citizens at a loss, and the news of Siegel-sama's death hadn't been released to the public yet. Murmurs rose among the men. It was sooner than planned, but they should make their move now. Lacus understood, and agreed. The time had come for them to go.

Athrun wanted Kira and Seren to return as they were about to reach the defense network of Jachin Due but they refused and decided to wait for him and stay around on stand-by. He still insisted that they went back. There was a pause.

"Athrun, you can't die yet." Kira smiled. "You know that, right? You, Seren, and I... we cannot die yet."

"_Not yet_..." The ZAFT soldier repeated.

"Not yet." The Freedom's pilot iterated.

"If you have regrets, struggle, work your ass off to make sure such situations won't arise again, for you, or anyone. If you've got the time to think of a possibility where you wouldn't be returning, you better rack your brain first about doing your everything to stave off that possibility. Think about that crap again a single time and I'll be taking you back by force. You've got a promise to keep, right?" Seren scolded. She was angry, and seriously so from that foul mouth. Athrun smiled sheepishly. He remembered Nicol, and his death, that time when he had killed Tolle, Lacus' words, Seren's tears when she had menaced him, when she had given him that pendant... he recalled their kiss, and his promise...

"Yeah. I remember it. I'll remember it." He closed his eyes and put his hand on his chest, as if trying to reach through the pilot suit and grasp that pendant. "Sorry for being such an idiot." He smiled good-naturedly.

"As long as you understand and don't forget." Seren humphed. The two mobile suits withdrew their communication cables and stared at the shuttle as it went on.

"This is Athrun Zala, special unit of the National Defense Committee. Identification number: 285002. Jachin Due defence forces, please respond." The boy requested as he neared the massive ZAFT space fortress Jachin Due. Well, it had only been converted in a military base in CE70 in April. Before, it had only served as a resource asteroid.

Chairman Zala was looking though the files regarding GENESIS, the still secret giant superweapon that included a gamma beam shield and reflection mirrors, whose contruction he had ordered when he received a communication. Athrun Zala of the Special Forces had arrived alone at Jachin Due aboard an Earth Forces shuttle. Given the circumstances, he was currently being restrained... This shocked the country leader. An Earth Forces shuttle?! He ordered the man to bring him here immediately. A soldier completed the formalities at the front desk before the office and with another, flanked Athrun and escorted him to his father. The three saluted. The guards left at the Chairman's order and the teen approached.

"What's going on? What happened? Where's the Justice? What happened to the Freedom and Independence?" Patrick demanded to know.

"Father, what are your true feelings about this war? How much longer must we continue fighting?"

"What are you saying?! What's important now is the mission you were handed! Report on that!" The old man barked.

"I've returned because I've felt the need to directly ask you that question, father." His son continued, unfazed by his parent's wrath.

"Athrun! Damn you!"

It was then a certain piece of information was caught on the network by a member of the Clyne Faction. He called Lacus-sama who came over and knelt down as he showed her the laptop. That wasn't good. She asked DaCosta if something could be done about it. He looked surprised for a second. Another sudden, difficult and unforeseen job had popped right out of the blue.

"Enough! I won't have some kid like you who doesn't understand a thing talking like this!" Patrick Zala raged, slamming his hand on the desk in frustration and standing up.

"It's you father who doesn't understand a thing! Alaska! Panama! Victoria! You attack because you're attacked, and then you're attacked again because you attacked! War just keep spreading and escalating!"

"Where did you get such crazy ideas?!" The chairman left his desk and walked up to his son. "Have you been deceived by that girl, Lacus Clyne?!"

"Do you seriously think that just meeting force with force will put an end to this war?!"

"Of course it will! The moment every last Natural is exterminated the war will end!" The Chairman bellowed. The teen's eyes opened wide in shock and horror, appalled as he was by his father's utter disdain for human lives. Had his hatred truly grown so much? "Tell me, Athrun!" The man grabbed his son by his collar. "What happened to the Justice, Freedom, and Independence?! Depending on your answer even you may not be forgiven!" He threatened. He seemed to be losing concern for even his own flesh and blood by the second, seeing him more and more like a defective pawn. But even though he felt that, that wasn't what baffled Athrun the most...

"Father... do you really mean what you said... about eradicating all Naturals?" He too was growing more and more furious, aggravated by his parent's blindness.

"That's the whole point of this war! That's why we're fighting! Have you forgotten even that?!" The radical shot back as he brutally pushed Athrun on the ground. The violent handling had loosened the collar of the red uniform, revealing the stone pendant. Because of the emotional blow, much more than the physical one, the boy stayed down for a few seconds before he sat up. But it wasn't over. Meantime, the Chairman had taken a gun from his desk. He armed it and aimed it at his son who gasped.

"Father..." Athrun whispered, hurt. That man really did not have an ounce of doubt or hesitation.

"You pathetic fool! Stop giving me that garbage and answer me!" He snarled. "Where are the Justice, Freedom and Independence?!" But despite the menace, Athrun stayed silent and fiercely glared at him in response. "If you refuse to answer I will have arrested as a traitor! Athrun!" However, as there was still no change in his son, he called the guards. Six soldiers came in and held the Red Coat at gunpoint. Athrun hung his head and closed his eyes. Tobias-sama's and Uzumi-sama's words came back to his memory.

_"In addition, the PLANTs are now controlled by Patrick Zala, a man who believes Coordinators are a new species unto themselves."_

_"The way things are progressing, the world will be caught between two forces that refuse to recognize the existence of the other."_

He gritted his teeth and curled his fists. His superior once more yelled his name warningly. That was his last chance to answer. Enraged, he glared at his father and snapped. He roared and charged right at him. Momentarily surprised, Patrick Zala fired. The bullet deeply grazed his son's right shoulder. Athrun fell, holding his bleeding wound.

"Don't kill him! There are still things I need to hear from this guy. Take him away. Force him to divulgue the whereabouts the Independence, the Freedom, and the Justice. If needed, a little violence may be in order!" The Chairman commanded, now treating his child like a common criminal. Athrun looked at the broken photo that had fallen in the commotion as the soldiers tied his hands behind his back and helped him up. It showed his mother and him when he was a child. They had been smiling. That was the only personal effect in this office, a memory of the woman killed by the Earth Alliance, by the Naturals... Two guards started taking him away. "I've misjudged you, Athrun. I'm very disappointed."

"The same goes for me." The injured boy replied in a contained voice from which still seeped his emotional pain. As he exited his father's office, handcuffed and flanked by two soldiers, a lot of bystanders had gathered, shocked to see Chairman Zala's own son wounded and taken away as prisoner. Everyone was whispering. As he looked at the pendant dangling from his neck, Athrun recalled Kira's words _"You can't die yet."_... as well as his kisses with Seren, their confession, his promise _"I will return to you no matter what." _And her conditions for allowing him to come here _"You must not die! You must not be overly reckless! You must escape as soon as it gets dangerous!" _

From a causeway, DaCosta dressed in his green military uniform had been watching too. But he left after a few seconds.

Le Creuset left his office. Flay circled the desk and put down the tray with the teapot and cup. She opened a drawer and took the recipient full of pills. She stared at them. Those were very important to him.

The Archangel and Kusanagi arrived at the ruins of a colony, though the center was still rotating, proof it was still functional. Kisaka sent M-1s out on recon. It was very unlikely they'd find anything but better be safe than sorry.

Outside the government building, a prisoner transport vehicle was already waiting. Inside there were two security guards. Another was outside. Three more soldiers guarded the sides of the car. Athrun stopped before reaching the vehicule door. The military man at his right told him to hurry and get in. But in response, the boy violently shoved him and kicked him away before knocking the one at his left against the wall.

"Huh?!" One of soldiers guarding the vehicle exclaimed. It was DaCosta.

"Freeze!" The one next to him aimed his weapon at Zala. DaCosta knocked him out with his firearm and followed Athrun who had run to the left and covered his escape by firing at the other other guards. He hadn't expected this at all! He threw a flash grenade, joined Athrun, hurled another grenade, and took the Red Coat around the corner of the building. The teen caught his breath and crouched down. Martin shot the handcuff, freeing him.

"You're being too reckless! Are you trying to get yourself killed? You even knocked one of our own men." The man scolded, handing a gun to the pilot of the Justice. Athrun asked who he was. "I'm with the so-called Clyne Faction. The plan has gone completely astray!" He complained.

"Sorry, I had no idea."

"Well, naturally." DaCosta replied. Meanwhile, the other member of the Clyne Faction had recovered and joined them while firing at the guards. They had to hurry! The three made a break for it.

In an obscure hangar, a ship was lying in wait. The inside was dark too. From the captain seat on the bridge, Andrew Waltfeld grabbed the phone and made an announcement to his crew.

"Aah... our ship will now enter in its final preparations. Got that? Our ship will now enter its final preparations. Get working!" He ordered. Some of the soldiers looked at each other cluelessly... and then in shock and apprehension as a number of their 'comrades' held them at gunpoint and drove them out of the ship.

"What?! How could you let him get away, you fool?! Issue a citywide warrant for his arrest at once! Close the port! Notify the military! We cannot let him get away!" The Chairman barked. He had put the photograph of his wife and son back on his desk. _Damn you, Athrun! _He cursed, his fists tightly curled into balls. He didn't even know that Lacus Clyne, clad in a white dress, far from hiding, had boarded an elevator a distance from here. And although the civilians looked surprised and confused, there was no other particular reaction.

A two-seater plane was speeding through the skies. Waltfeld's second in command was piloting. The tension and sense of urgency in his voice and features posed a stark contrast with Athrun's wistful expression as he gazed at the scenery of this PLANT that he was fighting so hard to protect, that had caused him such distress, and that now he was leaving as a traitor. His arm was resting in a madeshift sling done in haste.

Commander Waltfeld looked at the time on his pocket watch that he closed the moment he heard a female voice greeting him. It was Lacus apologising for her lateness. She was wearing a short lavender kimono, purple obi and long white sleeveless coat with golden trims. Her hair was up in a ponytail.

"No worries. As long as you're safe." The man smiled as she sat down on the commander's seat behind him. She was of course accompanied by Haro. "Now shall we get going?"

"Yes!" She smiled. The crew began the sequence. The lights turned on.

"Loading departure plan C, forced exit subroutine one nine two zero, online."

"Adding logic array, security is disengaged. All systems, go!" The engines started.

"Hey! What are you doing?! Take off orders haven't been given for your ship! What's going on?! Commander Waltfeld, respond!" The one in the control room demanded. Since there was no response, he reacted quickly and changed the code to the main gate control system so that it couldn't be opened from the ship. That change was reported on the bridge. The Desert Tiger praised their competence. But they should have just left things as they were.

"Now, our exit is going to be a bit rougher. Please brace yourself." He warned the songstress. It was fine with her. It could not be helped. They had to go. "Prepare to fire main cannon! Target, main gate! Fire immediately after take off!" He commanded. The cannon lowered slightly. The order was acknowleged and repeated. Lacus and Andrew nodded at each other.

"Eternal, please launch." Clyne ordered. The vessel slowly made its way to the gate. Orders to stop were received... and ignored. The control room alerted the headquarters.

"Fire!" Waltfeld yelled. The shot blasted the gate and the ship sailed through. "Where's DaCosta?!" He demanded. His aide's two-seater zoomed past two defensive drones firing at it and flew through a shaft into space, right above the Eternal. DaCosta called his commander who told him to move to the rear hatch. "As soon as we get the machine on board, I want maximum thrust! That ship's fast! We'll shake them off!" The officer yelled. The plane entered the hangar and the hatch closed.

Le Creuset received news of what had happened to his former subordinate, and the flight of the Eternal. He sounded surprised at first but then smiled, amused. They had received orders to pursue them but the blonde man advised against it. More like it was pointless. Even the Vesalius couldn't catch up with a vessel of that speed. There was no choice but to leave it to the Jachin Due defence troops. _Still, this is quite entertaining, Chairman Zala... _Rau thought with a smile.

The Eternal passed the first GINNs assigned to the protection of Jachin Due before they could react. Inside the ship Martin and Athrun arrived onto the bridge. Zala's wound had been treated and his right arm was in a proper sling. Lacus stood up and went to greet him. He was quite surprised. Andrew Waltfeld did not move from his seat but turned to him and welcomed him aboard the utahime's ship before introducing himself. The Jachin Due troops started bustling. The disturbance was detected by Kira and Seren who were hiding behind an asteroid, on standby.

"Things are getting busy. We should be ready to make a move soon." Seren advised. Her mouth was smiling but her eyes couldn't be more focused or her voice more determined. Her friend agreed.

"A mobile suit force approaching from ahead! Fifty mobile suits!" A man alerted the captain of the Eternal. Walteld deduced it was Jachin's troops, not that he was surprised. Lacus sat back and Athrun joined her.

"Prepare to fire main cannon! Activate CIWS!" The scarred commander instructed. Athrun asked if there were any mobile suit aboard, obviously intending to sortie. "Unfortunately, we're all out. This ship is exclusively for the Freedom, Justice, and Independence." Andy answered. The FFMH-Y101 Eternal, being a support ship for those three units, was significatly less armed than other battleships. It only consisted of a single heavy beam cannon, supported by six small beam cannons (three on each wing), fourteen CIWS and many missile launchers across the hull. However, when they were mounted externally on the right, left, and underside of the bow (and not used by the Freedom, Independence and Justice) the three heavily armed METEOR units could function as fixed turrets, thus increasing the vessel's firepower.

"Open all channels for outgoing communications." Clyne required. The ship captain obeyed. "I am Lacus Clyne. Although I have become enemies with Chairman Zala because we hope for different futures, I do not intend to fight against you. Please, let our ship go. And I also ask each one of you to think about what we really should be fighting against." She earnestly requested, causing a number of soldiers to waver.

"Don't be fooled by her! We have orders to attack!" An officer called his subordinates back to order. The GINNs and CGUEs fired their missiles.

"It won't be easy for them to change their beliefs so quickly." The Desert Tiger noted with a sigh. "Commence counterattack!" The missiles from the ship detonated the first wave. Lacus asked that they avoided hitting the cockpit but that was difficult. "Main cannon, fire!" With two shots, six GINNs were destroyed. A path had been opened but the enemy was now attacking from the sides and started surrounding the ship. "Here they come! Anti-air!" The Eternal retaliated, but the enemies were too many and too heavily armed. The counterattacks couldn't keep up! The missiles were going to hit! Everyone gritted their teeth. But suddenly, the Independence and Freedom appeared and shot down the missiles with their rifles. Athrun, surprised, called their names. They exploded some more missiles before aiming at the mobile suits' heads and arms with the multi-lock system and firing all their weapons at once. After that, the enemy stopped their attack and the two ZGMF units escorted the Eternal.

"Freedom, Kira Yamato here."

"Independence Seren Ledford. Lacus, is that you?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed elatedly. The ship and mobile suits received the images. Kira was stunned to see her for a second. But really... who else could now be considered a traitor and enemy of the PLANTs and have enough influence to manage to swipe a whole ship?

"Seren, Kira..." Athrun whispered.

"Hey, youngster, missie! You saved us here!" The ship captain greeted too.

"Waltfeld-san!" They gaped, shocked beyond words. Now that was something neither of them had expected, not even the faintest shadow of a doubt.

In the port of the ruins of the Mendel Colony, The Eternal docked on the lane next to the Kusanagi and Archangel.

"Saying 'it's a pleasure to meet you' would be strange. I'm Andrew Waltfeld." The ZAFT ship captain 'formally' introduced himself to his former enemy counterpart. DaCosta and other soldiers were behind him.

"I'm Murrue Ramius. But what a surprise." The captain of the Archangel did the same, as well as Mu La Flaga. Neumann, Pal, and a few others were standing back.

"Who would have thought I would one day personally meet the Hawk of Endymion." Waltfeld noted. The Strike's pilot shrugged with a smile. Then it was Kisaka's turn. Rayner and Cagalli (who was just as surprised as Kira and Seren) were there too of course. "Well, us all being here must be a surprise for everyone. Right, youngster, missies?"

"You have a legitimate reason to kill me." Kira said with a strained voice. Lacus was right by his side.

"We're in war. Everyone has a reason, yet no one does." The ZAFT commander reassured him good-heartedly. The boy thanked him. "But with this, we can finally walk the same path, huh, missie?" He looked at Seren and ruffled her hair.

"Even though you were one of the people who influenced our decision to walk that path." She averted her eyes.

"That could be our line too."

Some time later, while the ranked people were discussing, the youths excused themselves. Seren and Athrun were in a hallway.

"It's good that you returned like you promised but you got your arm in a sling again. Do you like that? Is it that good to get constantly injured? Is it nice having an arm in a sling? I told you not to be reckless, didn't I?" She scolded him. He sheepishly replied that the stone protected him, which was why it wasn't worse. "Well, I'm glad. But still... maybe I should draw something so embarrassing on it that you'd never dare get injured enough to have your arm in a sling again." She seemed dead serious, so much it was scary. He apologised earnestly. She sighed and they looked over at the Eternal. "And compared to you, Lacus was so reliable, not only did she bring you back but also a super souvenir." She commented trenchantly. However, when she gazed at Lacus and Kira who were conversing in another hallway further down on their left, her expression softened considerably and she couldn't help but smile.

"You might be right but you're really strict." He smiled embarrassedly. Seren was definitely angry at him. He knew she understood him but she still couldn't contain her anxiousness. Her barbs were simply payback for the worry he had caused her.

"But... somehow, this alliance of a ZAFT ship, an Earth Alliance ship and an Orb ship, it's so inspiring... it really gives you hope. And it's largely thanks to Lacus."

"Yeah..."

"Still, you look awfully calm for a guy whose fiancée is being stolen away right in front of his eyes... is it really alright?" The dark-haired girl wondered a bit testily. Again, Athun noticed her knack for needling people.

"Yes, and I've told you already, didn't I? Former fiancée. Since I'm an idiot." The soldier's smile turned patient, kind, understanding... but although that smile and reminder somewhat placated her, his sarcasm in the choice to use the same phrasing as her in her earlier scolding, and the knowing, teasing edge his voice did not escape her. They annoyed her. She twitched.

"Well, don't let it get to you, better realize now then never, and kira's even more of an idiot. And I who still stick with you guys despite everything am even more of an idiot. But indeed you're really stupid, to let go of such a great girl." She looked at Lacus again.

"That's because we both fell in love with someone else..." He gently affirmed. His words and tone made her look up at him. But she could not hold up to his gaze full of love and tenderness and, feeling herself weakening, averted her eyes in embarrassment, her ears red. He smiled at her lovely expression. But then Seren noticed Lacus crying and throwing herself in Kira's arms. He embraced her and consoled her. And after a moment, seeing them like this, Seren had a flash of realization.

"Athrun, what about Siegel-sama?" She asked. Her voice sounded firm but dread was written over her face.

"He died. No... he has been killed... by my father's men..." He hung his head in sorrow and shame. She held him tightly, comfortingly, sad for Lacus who had lost her father, and sad for Athrun knowing how guilty he must be feeling. The loss of that man was terrible for everyone. His valid arm wrapped around her and his hand clutched the back of her uniform.

* * *

Do people live for someone's sake? For love? For hate? For revenge? For dreams? There are probably many answers. The moment when we became adults and discovered a warmth we knew we never wanted to lose, we wanted to be stronger than anyone else. Now, we make this oath to that truest of skies, at the least, we will live so that love will reach the people we must protect. The dream that we look out over, it's alright if it's foolish.

* * *

**Author's note: Did you expect the kiss to be now? or not? or earlier, later? Anyway, only one person has ever told me their opinion about that relationship so... yeah lol XD . I tried to make a proper development throughout the story rather than the boring 'we're a couple after 2 chapters! yay!'. Hope it went well. In any case, only 8 chapters left :p  
**


	41. Archangels crossing swords

**Phase-41: Archangels crossing swords**

There were a lot of movements around the Earth Alliance Headquarters on the moon. Hornblower on standby on orbit 7, Starling, Wegener, Becksmith proceeded to orbit 2, the Eigth Carrier Group accelerated until it joined the Horatio, the fourth supply group arrived ten seconds later than scheduled, McNab had to clear orbit as the 51st Battle Group was ready for lift off... and the LCAM-01XB Dominion was doing combat simulations...

"Distance 500, Orange 14, Mark 233 Alpha, large heat source approaching! Looks like a warship class!"

"Stand by for anti-ship and anti-mobile suit combat! Starboard 10, lower bow, pitch angle 15! Activate Igelstellung and Valiant, target enemy warship! Load missile launchers one to four with Korinthos! Valiant, fire!" Badgiruel-kanchou quickly instructed. However, her men in the CIC were stumbling so much. The ship was locked on and destroyed by missiles. The monitor read MISSION FAILED, signaling a rather quick end to this simulation. She stood up and harshly scolded her subordinates. "What the heck are you doing?! You're responding way too slowly! At this rate we'll be destroyed in our first battle! Do you understand that?!" She was probably going to say more when they received a communication from the fleet headquarter. Soon, a rear admiral entered the bridge followed by a young man in his late twenties with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a light blue suit while the Calamity, Forbidden, and Raider docked in the hanger. The officer apologized for the disturbance and introduced Director Muruta Azrael of National Defense Industry Association. He was going to join this ship as an observer of the three state of the art mobile suits being loaded on the ship. Natarle was rather disconcerted but nonetheless greeted him and introduced herself.

"However, I never expected the captain of the ship we're boarding to be this young and beautiful. Is this an added benefit of some sort?" The director leant close to Badgiruel before turning to the rear admiral. His words could be meant as a compliment, but he was really doubting the competence of such a _young __**woman**_ at such a post. He was reassured though. She was very skilled. Her family had a long history of military service and prior to her current post, she had served as vice-captain of the Archangel. Now this had Muruta interested. "Wow, so you're very familiar with it. After all, we're on our way to go and sink that Archangel." He declared as Orga, Shani and Clotho entered. The woman gasped in shock. Her own... as well as this Archangel-class second ship's first deployment was to sink the Archangel?!

On the Vesalius, a soldier showed the Eternal's projected course calculated by the data from Jachin Due to Le Creuset and Ades. Flay was there too, as well as Yzak, Shiho, and other pilots. As the captain had expected, the Eternal had taken refuge in the L4 colony group. What a troublesome place, first housing suspicious people, and now this ship. The Commander couldn't imagine the Clyne Faction being too significant. But a number of people had switched over from within the Forces. Who knew what to expect... Ades had personally met Commander Waltfeld before but to think he'd do something like this... Le Creuset believed the Chairman must have been deceived by that man's smooth tongue and cheerful nature. He was a war hero who miraculously made it back alive after all. They were somewhat discontent being involved in this mess but it couldn't be helped as things rarely went according to plan. It was especially not an easy thing to try and understand the thoughts hidden in one's heart.

"Yzak, from now on, Athrun is your enemy. Can you shoot him down?" Rau tested the last remaining member of his original team. The other pilots looked at Joule.

"Of course! I'll shoot down any traitor!" Yzak replied strongly... although keen, shrewd eyes could discern the strain he was under. He was forcing himself, fleeing forward. His Commander smiled.

After the meeting, Le Creuset returned to his office and sat on his chair while exhaling deeply. Flay noted with concern how exhausted he was.

"I'm only human after all. I've been living my life from battlefield to battlefield. If you say that it's because I'm a soldier, I have no argument. But not one of us was born into this world as a soldier." He patiently explained.

The girl looked down, remembering her peaceful time in Heliopolis, only having fun with her friends, meeting Kira... And then she recalled Seren's words _"Coordinators are not born as killing machines." _And also_ "Kira and I are not heartless war machines! We're humans too! But you're too much of a damn coward to try to understand us! Do you really think you're the only one who's scared and suffering? Naturals and Coordinators, everyone is suffering!" _

"I'd like nothing more than to put an end to this sort of thing. You agree with me, don't you? I hold the final key, but if that key stays here, then that final door will never open. I would love to somehow open that door." He observed her expression as she intently watched the disk in his hand.

"I believe this colony was scrapped before the war because it was a biological hazard, wasn't it?" Waltfeld pondered as he and Mu joined the meeting room (the bridge of the Archangel). The Natural remembered the Mendel Incident well. It had caused quite a stir. But because of that, it escaped with less damage and was quite appropriate for setting up a base. Sai, Seren, Milly, Murrue, Lacus, Kira, Kisaka, Cagalli, and Rayner (who was holding Cagalli by the shoulders) were already present. Dearka was hitting it off with the mechanics (teaching them things). Mu went over to Murrue's side. Seren looked over at the door. Still no Athrun. According to the idol, their immediate concern was most likely the moon. She had heard that the Earth Forces were continually sending troops from Victoria. Murrue wondered if they were planning an all-out attack against the PLANTs. "Their forces are full of people who've always wanted to do that... 'for the preservation of our blue pure world'." The Desert Tiger commented. Ramius looked down in guilt. She had fought for those people...

"Stop that." La Flaga defended her.

"Those are not my words." The former ZAFT officer shrugged. Seren kept looking at the door.

"Well, what you're saying is true." Mu good-heartedly shrugged too. Lacus floated over to Kira and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I can't see why getting rid of Coordinators will lead to a pure world. I don't even know what a 'pure world' means in the first place... but from the position of the PLANTs, nothing would be worse than being shot for such a nonsensical reason." Waltfeld voiced the Coordinators' opinion. Seren left the meeting under the watchful eyes of his cousin and childhood friend. "On the other hand, the leaders of the PLANTs look upon the Naturals as pests. Naturally they'll defend themselves and go on the attack, so as never to repeat history. The question is, how much longer will this continue?"

"We live in such a cruel time." Murrue commented sadly as she gripped Mu's sleeve and leant against him. He agreed.

"But it has always been we, humans, who do this, and who stop this." Lacus remarked. "Throughout history, there have been many people who feel the way we do. Wouldn't it be great to create an era where that isn't necessary?" She gazed at Kira who smiled back at her.

Athrun was alone in the darkness in one of the hallways of the Archangel, staring at the other ships without seeing them. All he could think about was his father who wanted to eradicate all Naturals, who considered ideas about peace and coexistence as foolish sentimentality, childish daydreams... as garbage... his father who had threatened even him with a gun. He had not been able to see a single trace of warmth and humaneness left in him. He had... not been able to do anything. He was interrupted by Seren.

"So this is where you've been hiding. What are you, a key person, skipping this meeting for? You're the one who need it the most. Spinning your wheel alone like a hamster won't get you anywhere. You need to discuss what's on your mind with everyone. And you must not be alone when you're depressed. Isn't that why you stayed with me that time?"

"I'm sorry." He apologised so earnestly that she felt a pang and instantly softened. She looked at his arm and shoulder and asked if it hurt. "Ah, no."

"Don't lie to me. Of course it must hurt, having been shot by your father..." The girl spoke gently, and in the same time pleadingly.

"I could not stop my father. I realized it for the first time. I couldn't do a thing. I was totally powerless and I didn't understand a thing." He strongly blamed himself.

"Everyone's the same. Children all presume to know their parent's hearts, but no one actually knows anything. It's obvious that as inexperienced as they are, they can't do much against their parents. The fact that they think otherwise is very proof of that. That's called the brashness of youth. But... as cruel as it could be, I don't want you to give up on your father. I can't guarantee that your feelings will reach him, and you're certainly going to suffer... But still, as long as there's life, there's hope, right?" She unconsciously leant forward, trying to convey all her hope and eagerness, trying to convince both of them. She wanted to try and give him the happiness she could no longer have, even if she knew how much a failure would hurt him. "So if you have the chance to talk to him again... or maybe even create this chance... wasting time moping when it's not over is-" But the words were caught in her throat when he suddenly hugged her. Her father was dead, so she no longer had any hope... but he was different, and still, she was the one who was comforting him. Surely, she didn't even notice her own desperation, in her voice, and in her watering eyes.

"Sorry." He whispered softly. She asked what he meant. What was he apologising about? "Well, like I said, sorry." He didn't mean to bring back painful memories to her. A moment passed. Seren sighed and held him back and patted him.

"Really, what's with you... you're always apologising lately, even though you don't need to."

"You're right." The young man replied after a pause, and a small smile lit his face. "Then maybe I should convey my thanks instead." And he kissed her, catching her off guard. She was blushing when he pulled away, and cutely glowering at him.

"Couldn't you thank me normally?"

"It **is** normal, for you and me. And I felt that words were not enough, so..." He pecked her lips tenderly before kissing her much more deeply and lovingly. His words could not convey how much he loved her and was grateful to her. Her grip tightened but then she looked down, embarassed, and said that thanks were even less necessary between them, it was only natural. He smiled, amused, and kissed her once more. "Then simply because I want to, or is that no good?" And his winning, heart-melting expression overwhelmed the last dregs of her defenses and she was the one who kissed him. He responded with the same amorousness and their gentle embrace grew a little more impassioned.

In the Dominion, Natarle was looking through the files of the young men who piloted the Raider, Forbidden and Calamity. Clotho Buer: enhancement implants stage three, a biological CPU for the X370, all personal date deleted. Orga Sabnak: biological CPU for the X131, stage two, no personal data. Shani Andra: stage four, biological CPU for X252, no personal data either. All three were not treated as pilots but as equipment. They were just expandable parts. That didn't sit well with her from her expression, but it was not like she was in a position to complain. Muruta floated about and asked when they would arrive at L4. She replied they were almost there. However, she was still not convinced they should head to L4 without grounds.

"My sources are accurate. We're going on those grounds. It's not as if we're proceeding on no ground at all."

"But you can't trust information from the PLANTs! It could be a trap!"

"Freedom, Independence, and Justice. They're the codenames of the three machines in question." He consented to disclose to silence her endless and aggravating complaining. "They're saying that there are three Nazca-class vessels loaded with machines heading to L4. If the information is true, we can't afford to miss this chance. That's why we're going. Let me get one thing straight. You may be the captain assigned to command this ship, but people in places higher up look at the overall picture, think things through, and give orders." He brought his jeering face close to the woman who gritted her teeth. "Look here, you've been told to do as I say, right? Just make sure you don't forget that part." He straightened up and left under her angry eyes.

July 12th – In the Colony Mendel, the Three Ships Alliance were loading as much ammunition and ressources as they could. It had taken time to gather everything while trying to avoid enemy eyes. People had also made regular trips to fish for information and establish networks. They were planning to receive more from those who had remained at the PLANTS and from Ama-no-Iwato. Each had their supply routes. Lacus politely requested that the provision be as quick as possible. The Strike was helping the Astrays moving the boxes. Asagi tried to stop him. They'd do the work here. Well this was a subordinate's job, not a Lieutenant Commander's. However, this was also training for him. The girls already had some space simulation experience, right? As if he could let the kids look good at his expense.

Murrue and Lacus decided to transfert the Independence, Freedom, and Justice to the Eternal since it was a ship specifically designed for them. The Archangel would keep the Strike and Buster, and the Kusanagi would have the Blast. Kira rogered that. Seren helped Athrun take off his sling. Kira and Seren were in their pilot suits but Athrun was in his uniform. His mission these last weeks had been on focus on healing. The three nodded at each other and went to get ready.

The Dominion arrived in view of the Mendel Colony. They detected the presence of three ships in the harbor. One was confirmed to be the Archangel. Azrael commented they were lucky to have arrived first.

"Okay, let's get started. You may sink their ship if you wish. The chief objective is to get those three mobile suits. We'll send our guys out too. They better do their job right today." The Director reminded everyone of their job. Natarle sighed.

"This ship will begin battle! Activate Igelstellung and Valiants! Load all missile launchers with Sledgehammers! Aim Lohengrin! Target, the Archangel-class first ship, Archangel!" She instructed, her strong clear voice betraying her emotion when she announced their target. The engines started and the ship sped up. Sai gasped on the bridge of the Archangel when he saw the alert on his monitor.

"Large heat source approaching! Believed to be warship-class! Distance 700, Orange 11, Mark 18 Alpha, matching with library... not listed!"

"All hands, level one battle stations!" The captain commanded. Sai repeated the order that echoed through the ship. It was just as the pilots of the ZGMF series were boarding their units.

"Seren, Athrun!" Kira called them. He didn't need to tell them what to do.

"Yeah!" Athrun said.

"We know!" Seren replied.

"Lohengrin Two, fire!" Badgiruel yelled. It hit the side of the harbor. Inside, the three vessels shook.

"Archangel, take off! We're heading outside!" Ramius shouted. She received a communication from Kisaka. The Kusanagi was okay, they could take off. Waltfeld told her the Eternal needed more time for the final adjustments. "Very well. Then please standby within the harbor. Once we determine whether the enemy is ZAFT or the Earth Alliance, we will know what they're after." She stated. He thanked her. The Archangel lifted off and slowly left the port. "Activate Igelstellungs and Valiants! Load all rear missile launchers!"

When she saw the Archangel sailing out to meet them, Natarle recalled Murrue's kind and encouraging words _"I'm sure you'll make a wonderful captain." _... _"I hope we have the chance to meet again, somewhere other than the battlefield." _ She opened the communications and stood up.

"This is the Earth Alliance forces' mobile assault spaceship Dominion! Archangel, can you hear me?" She spoke while the blonde seated next to her stared at her quizically. All the crew of the LCAM-01XA who could hear the transmission gasped as they recognized that voice. "Your ship is listed with the Alliance as a rebel ship and we therefore demand your immediate and unconditional surrender. Should you fail to abide by these orders, we will destroy your ship."

"Captain, we have an optical image of the ship." Haw-nitohei informed. Captain Ramius and Neumann were surprised to see the Archangel, or rather, a vessel of the same model. Next, Badgiruel appeared on the monitor of the bridge.

"It has been a while, Captain Ramius."

"Yes." Murrue answered a little curtly.

"I regret we have to meet again under those circumstances."

"Same here."

"I heard about what happened in Alaska. However, I strongly suggest that you surrender and talk things over with the top military officials. I don't know what help I can be but I'll do everything I can to assist you. I know you're very well aware of what this ship is capable of." The former vice-captain offered. Archangel-class vessels were more powerful than any other, and combined with G-project prototypes, they were nearly invicible. The first ship had proven it, which was why the second one had been built. However, even if Ramius and the others surrendered, they would only be executed, they knew too much, were too rebellious, and problematic. And they had things they wanted to do, things they could only accomplish with their current freedom and standing. Nothing could be done. Natarle couldn't protect them. It was obvious. But just her feelings were enough.

"Natarle... thank you. But we cannot do that! This isn't only about what happened in Alaska. We have serious doubts about the Earth Forces as a whole. Therefore we will not surrender or return to the military!" Murrue declared adamantly.

"Ramius-kanchou..." Badgiruel whispered. Suddenly Muruta laughed, tapping his thigh.

"And here I was wondering what you were going to say! That's no good, miss captain!" The man commented, amused. "If we could solve everything by talking, there would be no conflict in this world. Enemies are made through misunderstandings. And we must shoot our enemies." He chided. The conversation was heard in the Kusanagi, Eternal, and different gundams too. Dearka cracked his neck in the Buster, looking displeased. Seren had turned to ice. And Athrun was burning with anger. Why couldn't these people think of correcting those misunderstandings?!

"Director Azrael!" The Dominion captain voiced her discontent. Kira, Seren, and Murrue were shocked when they recognized the name. Murutal Azrael... the leader of Blue Cosmos! They glared.

"Calamity, Forbidden, and Raider! Launch! Today, we destroy the indestructible Archangel." He ordered. Miriallia detected the 131, 252 and 370, as well as a number of Strike Daggers and a few Star Blasters. Kira sortied, followed by Mu in the Launcher Strike. Seren was next to head out, and then Athrun, and last was Dearka. Ramius charged the Buster and Strike to stay back and protect the Archangel, and her staff on the bridge to watch out for the debris, especially the metapolymer tethering strings that were dangerous. The Kusanagi left the harbor too. Cagalli asked for maximum speed. They'd position themselves on the Archangel's left side. Orga roared and fired the "Schalg" beam cannons. The Freedom, Justice and Independence avoided the beams as well as the Forbidden and Raider. Clotho complained they had to take those guys alive. Shani wanted to know if only one could make do.

"The Archangel and one unidentified vessel are proceeding. Course, Green 94, Mark 3, Bravo."

"Load missile launchers 1 to 6, and set terminal guidance of Korinthos to self-control pattern B. Target, Orange, Alpha 17 to 42. Increase settings at angles of five points apart, meanwhile change route to Indigo 13, Mark 20, Charlie, engine thrust at maximum!" Natarle commanded. Azrael questioned the point of firing missiles where there was no enemy. "If you don't understand the strategy, please be quiet." The Dominion launched the Korinthos. The Strike and Buster destroyed Strike Daggers. However, just as Cagalli ordered to aim at the enemy vessel's engine, the Kusanagi shook. They had been caught by the metapolymer strings and couldn't break free. Kisaka told Asagi to cut it off while the Blast protected the ship.

"Oh, that one's already finished." Andras remarked as he noticed the Kusanagi's predicament and went to finish it off. Buer got angry at him. They needed everyone to capture those units! The Blast bocked the Forbidden's heavy scythe with its anti-ship sword and fired its CIWS and Vulcan gun. The X252 tried to fire its plasma induction cannon at point blank range but Rayner avoided. He received Athrun's help when the Fatum-00 bumped into the EA machine. That aid was especially needed since two Strike Daggers and a Star Blaster had come to target the Kusanagi too. The Justice combined its "Lacerta" beam sabers and attacked.

Meanwhile, Kira and Seren were back to back, facing off with the Raider and Calamity. They avoided the Mjolnir Hammer and the beams that often came dangerously close to the other's unit and sometimes even hit. And still those two wouldn't stop being in the other's line of fire. They just focused on the enemies, the Freedom and Independence, and didn't care about anything else. Kira tried to stop the mace with the CIWS but it was pointless. Seren stabbed it from above with a beam saber and cut it. Her friend protected her from the 131's beams and she fired at the Calamity with her "Apus" plasma beam cannons before charging at it still armed with her beam saber, evading the shots from the bazooka and beam cannons before shielding herself from the enemy's shield-mounted "Kaefer-zwei" ram cannons.

On the other side of the Colony, three ZAFT vessels commanded by Le Creuset were laying in wait. By the time they had arrived, the curtain had been raised already. The Eternal and two vessels... one of which was the Legged Ship. It looked like the Earth Forces were countering with only one vessel. Anyway, there was very little they could do for now. They needed a better understanding of the situation. Rau decided that he and Yzak would enter the colony and gather information. Captain Ades was surprised that the Commander was moving in person. Le Creuset ordered him to tell the Helderton and Heusinger to remain here. The Mendel Colony... if all went well, a number of matters could be brought to a close.

The Archangel had lost the Dominion because of the debris when Sai suddenly detected it right above them, coming out from behind an asteroid. Murrue was horrified. When did it get there?!

"Gottfried, fire!" Badgiruel yelled.

"Evade!" However, Natarle had anticipated the evasion algorithm, and the Archangel came into the detection range of the Sledgehammers the Dominion had first launched. They activated again and zoomed to the first Archangel-class ship. Milly reported their approach from Orange, Delta. "Counterattack!" But they didn't have time.

"The Archangel!" Kira shouted, firing his "Balanea" beam cannons. Seren cursed and shot the "Vega" rail cannons and "Alcor" beam cannons. They successfully detonated most missiles but some still hit... and even blew a "Gottfried" cannon. The ship rocked. The ones inside screamed.

"Natarle-san..." The pilot of the Independence glared at the Dominion and detached the Aquila backpack after having programmed it. Azrael voiced his amazement concerning Badgiruel's war tactics.

"Frankly, tactics of this level are nothing to be impressed about. You want to capture those, right?" She asked as the ZGMF-X08A and ZGMG-X10A rushed to her ship. The Blue Cosmos leader confirmed. "Then get the Calamity and Raider on it. Valiant! Gottfried! Target: enemy mobile suits! Fire!" She commanded. The Freedom blocked the first Gottfried beam and dodged the second. He could avoid falling prey to the Raider's mouth-mounted "Zorn" cannon but not the shot at point blank range from behind by the Calamity. Orga cursed a second later though when he was also shot in the back by the Independence.

Meantime, Rau Le Creuset and Yzak Joule left the Vesalius in their units. Inside the ship, Flay was sitting on a couch and staring with teary eyes at the data disk in her hands.

Mu had just defeated an enemy when he felt Le Creuset's presence.

"Hey! Old man!" Dearka called him when he saw him leaving the battlefield.

"Don't call me 'old man'! ZAFT is close by!" La Flaga replied. Elsman, having an inkling who those ZAFT people might be and refusing to let an ally go alone, followed him.

While under fire from the Dominion, Kira was squaring off with the X370, and Seren was continuing her usual strategy of poking the X131 and retreating a bit to keep it busy and quickly make its energy level drop down. The Independence was also keeping dangerously close to the Dominion, acting as decoy to divide its fire. Athrun who was fighting the Forbidden and those on the Archangel yelled their names. They were especially worried about Seren who had gotten too far ahead.

"Sledgehammers! Target, enemy mobile suits! Fire!" But just as Badgiruel shouted that, one of their Gottfried cannons was destroyed. The vessel shook. They saw the Aquila backpack passing before them. Azrael noted how the enemy had used the same tactic Badgiruel had used against them. The explosions detonated several of the heavy Sledgehammer anti-ship missiles but the rest headed to the Independence and Freedom.

* * *

There were words that didn't reach. We who are very young are always missing the target. Our inexperienced hearts do not even understand that. But those who speak of "resignation" may never be able to find their own ideal way. We're not alone. Just that becomes food for our bodies and grants us power to keep believing and fighting. Without suppressing our desires, we all aimed for our paradise.

* * *

**Author's note: just to let you know, I've decided to put chapter titles on the scroll down menu since I heard it would be more practical for you readers. I'll do the titles of the previous chapters over time.**


	42. Past to present

**Phase-42: Past to Present**

The heavy Sledgehammer anti-ship missiles not detonated by the explosion of the Dominion's Gottfried cannon bulleted towards the Independence and Freedom. Kira and Seren entered SEED mode, targeted the projectiles with their multi-lock systems and fired all their ranged weapons, except their rifles, destructing every missile. The Raider and Calamity attacked them from behind. The ZGMF units barely dodged. Orga was annoyed. It was fine as long as the body remained, right? The Freedom and Independence maneuvered to evade the shots. The X131 fired its chest-mounted Multi-phase energy cannon, Kira was shot and bumped by the Raider. Seren sent her Aquila pack to blind the Calamity and shoot at it but it was parried. Its pilot was starting to gain in accuracy too, giving her more trouble. Maybe she had played with it a bit too much and it was getting unconsciously used to her movements.

Athrun, who had remarked the hard time his comrades were having, cursed and called their names. He wanted to go and help, but the Forbidden was being quite persistent. The Justice threw its beam boomerang, forcing the enemy to block and causing a deep dent in its two shields. It closed in and sliced the shaft of the "Nidhoggr" Scythe. With the Fobidden knocked back, Athrun left to join his friends. And the X370's guerrilla tactics were working well against the Freedom... too well... like a beast focused on one prey and pursuing it relentlessly. The mobile armor activated its claw-mounted beam daggers. Kira blocked with his shield but was knocked away. Both the Calamity and Independence noticed its predicament and rushed to it with different purposes. Seren was faster and shielded her friend, finding herself the target of both enemy units. She couldn't dodge or Kira would be destroyed and she couldn't block both if they fired from a distance. She braced herself. Athrun entered the SEED mode too and protected her from the "Scylla" Multi-phase cannon. She gaped as he roared and repelled the beam with his shield that he rammed into the Calamity's chest. There was was an explosion. The girl screamed his name as she parried the Raider's "Ahura Mazda" short range plasma cannons. He reassured her. He was alright. Only his shield was damaged. And so was the chest of the X131 that could no longer use its "Scylla" cannon. Kira came to help and fired at the Raider whose pilot was cursing them.

"Boy, that was close!" Azrael lamented. "What are you doing? Come on, don't stop firing."

"In these circumstances, we'd be hitting our own machines." Natarle argued.

"Never mind if we hit them. They're equipped with Trans-phase armor." He smiled with a care. After all, those three were not humans but mere parts to operate to machines. The woman sighed. A man reported the approach of the Archangel.

"Aim Gottfrieds! Fire!" Murrue shouted.

"Evade!" The captain of the Dominion yelled. And the ship evaded.

The Strike and Buster returned inside the port. When they passed by the Eternal, Andrew and Lacus looked at them quizzically. The commander called them and asked them what it was.

"He says ZAFT is close by! Errr... that guy!" Dearka answered. "In any case, we're going over to check! If he's right, things could turn bad!" He ended the communication.

"The harbor on the opposite side..." Waltfeld clicked his tongue.

"In any case, please hurry with the Eternal's takeoff. Even if we make a fuss, as long as we're stuck here, we have no choice but to leave things to them." Clyne smiled calmly.

"You're right! DaCosta!"

Yzak's Duel and Le Creuset's white ZGMF-600 GuAIZ were flying through the colony interior. The Commander was smiling. Suddenly, Rau and Mu felt each other's close presence. Joule detected the X105, that hateful Strike and... the Buster? He thought of Dearka. If they were using that unit, it must mean... In the X103, Elsman had also recognized the Duel. There was a small shoot-out as the four passed each other by. They turned back and attacked. The Strike engaged the GuAIZ.

"So now you're piloting that machine, Mu La Flaga!"

"A new model? This attachment might be a disadvantage." The former EA pilot cursed. Indeed, with the Launcher pack, he lacked the mobility and versatility needed against that latest ZAFT machine whose performance surpassed all other mass-produced models of this time.

The Calamity and Raider shot at the three ZGMF units that avoided. They were joined by the Forbidden whose pilot was constantly swearing and mindlessly firing its "Hresvelgr" plasma induction cannon, so furious at the red mobile suit that he didn't care about hitting his own allies. It'd take more than that to get them though, and they only blamed him, and he blamed the Justice. The Freedom's beams were deflected by the Geschmeidig Panzer. The X252 kept pursing Athrun who noted how reckless he was. Seren attacked the green MS with her beam saber. Asagi finally freed the Kusanagi and apologized for the time it took. Kisaka thanked her.

"Maximum propulsion! We'll go after the Dominion! Don't get the ship caught on anything else!" Cagalli ordered.

"Helldarts! Fire!" Ramius bellowed.

"Valiants! Fire!" Badgiruel shouted. The bridge tower anti-aircraft missiles Helldarts zoomed towards the Dominion that detonated them with the Igelstellungs. The Archangel evaded the Valiant's shots. Meanwhile the Kusanagi was surrounded by Strike Daggers and Star Blasters. The Astrays proved their efficiency in space, but after all the cornerstone of the defense was the Blast, equipped with the Nova Blast Off pack and piloted by Rayner. While not as competent a pilot as Seren, he still showed off remarkable adaptability to the demands of the battlefield and made good use of his unit's versatility in terms of range. He protected the ship of course but also regularly covered for the M1s and organized them.

In the colony, Yzak took out his beam saber and lunged at the Buster.

"You bastard! How dare you use Dearka's machine!" He slashed fiercely, several times, but was dodged. Dearka whispered his name with a pained expression. The Strike fired its Vulcan gun.

"Who would've thought I'd have the chance to meet you here?!" The ZAFT officer yelled as he activated his two shield-mounted beam claws and charged.

"Rau Le Creuset!" La Flaga avoided the attack.

"I'm glad, Mu."

The flank of the Dominion was hit. A soldier reported the approach of the Orb Izumo-class vessel, distance 20, Orange 15, Mark 1, Alpha. The Kusanagi fired the Gottfrieds 1 and 2 at Cagalli's command. The Archangel-class second ship swerved out of the way. Natarle ordered the temporary retreat and the launching of the retreat signal, surprising the blonde director. They had them cornered too! The captain explained they were at a disadvantage now. The energy level of those three machines was reaching critical level. If they didn't retreat now, they were going to be destroyed. They were not aware but the pilots, no, the biological CPUs too were reaching their limits.

"I hope you're confident that if we pull out now, we'll win the next time." The Blue Cosmos leader warned with a sinister smile.

"Would you rather die now?" The captain of the Dominion retorted.

"Valiants! Fire!" Murrue yelled. The black ship sailed through the shots but was hit. As it rocked again, Muruta gritted his teeth. There was really no choice after all, going against two ships.

"Fire signal! 10 to starboard! We're leaving the battle area!" Natarle snapped. Everone saw the signal. Orga cursed. Time up! He and Clotho started leaving but Shani was still intent on destroying the red machine. The Justice avoided but its beams were useless against the Geschmeidig Panzer. But then the Forbidden was sandwiched between its two ally units.

"Shani!" Sabnak said his name warningly.

"We've got orders to retreat, you stupid!" Buer reminded him. The youngest CPU protested but he caved in before the oldest's argument.

"Right now we've got to retreat! Do you want to experience that pain again?!" And the three returned to the Dominion. Better avoid unnecessary suffering, especially one as excruciating as that. Murrue praised the enemy's quick and correct analysis of the situation and following retreat. The three Coordinators had returned to normal. Kira and Seren were staring at the Dominion and thinking of Natarle-san. While they had not been on best terms, they still respected and considered each other as comrades to some extent? Or was it the teens' one-sided feeling? They didn't know. Athrun called them. They asked if he was alright.

"Yeah. But those pilots..."

"I thought so too when we fought against them in Orb, but..." Kira began.

"It's hard to believe they're regular soldiers." Zala said. Regular soldiers would never be so reckless or ignore orders like this.

"Also... they don't seem to be Naturals." The Freedom's pilot added.

"Yet I don't see the Blue Cosmos using Coordinators... Surely they were born naturally but I can't even begin to imagine what terrible methods the Earth Alliance must have used to enhance them like this..." Seren gave her opinion as she glared in the Dominion's direction.

The Astrays returned to the Kusanagi, their pilots exhausted. Waltfeld contacted the Archangel and asked if there was any word from La Flaga or Elsman. Murrue got worried. Actually, those two were still fighting in the colony. The Strike fired the Agni cannon to no effect, same for the projectiles of his 350mm gun launchers. On the Archangel, Miriallia tried to call Dearka and the Commander, and failed as the signals didn't reach the colony interior. The captain clenched her fists.

"You damn Natural!" Yzak roared hatefully and slashed. The Buster evaded without trying to retaliate. Dearka gritted his teeth. "I won't let you have your way, bastard!" The Duel fired its missiles and Shiva railgun but the attack was stopped by the shotgun's multiple shells.

"Yzak!" Elsman yelled. The blue-eyed teen gasped, frozen. How could a Natural know his name? And that voice...

"Dearka?"

The Archangel returned inside the port of the colony. Kira decided to go help La Flaga and Dearka while everyone worked on replenishment and maintenance. Despite his objection, Seren chose to go with him. If ZAFT was here, they should expect two or three vessels. She was betting on the presence of their usual 'god of misfortune', that was why the Commander had sensed them. And if that man was there, things could get bad. No one could predict what he would or could do. The Duel was certainly there too. If the two of them went, they would hurry and settle things and come back here (although she was also thinking about gathering information about ZAFT). So Kira had no choice but to accept. Athrun wanted to accompany them as the Justice was fine too but was turned down. The Dominion hadn't entirely retreated and they couldn't leave this area protected by just the Blast and Astrays, so he better remain here. Zala protested. She reassured him. She'd make sure to keep that Kira in check (although she also needed to be kept in check). But Athrun must definitely not, under any circumstances, follow them, even if they were late or didn't come back. What he must do now was protect those ships. They were counting on him. So he should trust them too. He very reluctantly accepted. He just wanted to protect his friends... to protect her...

Seren went after Kira under Athrun's worried gaze. Lacus asked all ships to hurry with replenishments and maintenance. If ZAFT was in fact present in the other harbor, they were sure to face another dangerous situation. They could not allow themselves to be defeated here!

"Dearka! Is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me." Dearka replied as his former comrade received the visual communication.

"Why the hell are you fighting alongside the Strike?! What the hell are you doing, huh?! I'm truly glad that you're alive. But I won't forgive even you depending on your answers!" The ZAFT pilot warned, although from his voice he was clearly suffering. But then the Freedom and Independence arrived. Yzak was shocked when he recognized the two units from Alaska that had incapacited his machine... and saved him... telling him to hurry up and get out of here, to live if he had people he wanted to see and protect... He gritted his teeth and prepared to fight them but the Buster stepped inbetween them.

"Stop it, Yzak! You too, Kira, Seren!" Dearka turned to his new allies. "Leave this guy to me."

"Are you sure?" Kira wondered. The pilot of the X103 confirmed.

"Let's do as he says here, Kira." Seren concurred after a time. "There are words only true friends can say, in order for them to reach. Let's believe in them."

"Okay then. But don't let things turn like they did between Athrun and me." Yamato finally agreed and left. Yzak whispered Athrun's name, surprised. How did that man know about it?

"Right, right. I don't want to see close friends having to fight and kill each other anymore." And Seren flew away too. Dearka turned back to Joule and opened his cockpit, testifying to his trust.

"Let's lower our rifles and talk, Yzak!"

Meanwhile, the GuAIZ had engaged the Strike in close combat... and the EA unit was in a quite disadvantageous position, especially due to its current weaponry...

"I figured, if you shot me here, well, that's a fate I could accept." Le Creuset kicked his enemy down. "However, it doesn't seem like you're capable of pulling that off! I guess in the end, a child cannot win against his father." He commented in a low, barely audible voice as he fired at La Flaga.

"What?!" Mu exclaimed, discarding his heavy equipment and taking out his Armor Schneider knives. However, the ZAFT officer shot the waist-mounted EEQ7R extensional arrestors. One of the grapples sectioned the Strike's arm at the shoulder and the other pierced the lower left side of the cockpit. An explosion occurred inside and a sharp piece of debris stabbed Mu's left abdomen. The X105 fell backwards on the colony ground.

"It looks like Destiny is siding with me." But suddenly, to his great surprise, Le Creuset felt people coming from above and aimed. Before he could fire, Kira shot the GuAIZ's weapon and Seren its legs. "The Freedom and Independence!" He cursed. Yamato sliced the head and the ZAFT mobile suit fell to the ground too. Le Creuset clicked his tongue. His machine was unusable. He came out, jumped down, and ran to a building. Seeing that, Mu removed his helmet, opened his cockpit and tried to shoot him as he passed by the Strike. Rau retaliated. "What do you say we put an end to all this today?" He fired a few more bullets and ran inside.

"What's that bastard up to?" La Flaga complained as he followed his archenemy. The Freedom landed. Kira was obviously planning on going after them. Mu-san was injured too. He was holding his left side and there was blood on his suit. The Independence landed too. Both pilots got out of their gundams armed with a gun.

The Duel and Buster and also come down, and Yzak and Dearka were facing each other, exactly like Kira and Athrun had once done in Orb after the first attack of the Earth Alliance. But then, Yzak aimed his gun at Dearka who gasped.

"I'm not naïve enough to believe the words of an enemy so easily!" Joule glared at his ex-partner.

"Am I your enemy?" Elsman sighed.

Kira and Seren entered the construction. At its center was a titanic column connected by walkways to different open floors. They heard gunshots.

"Do you have any idea what this place is, Mu?" Le Creuset questioned.

"As if I'd know, you bastard!" He snapped back, hidden in a hallway. After a few rounds he took cover again to avoid bullets. There was a sound of fast footsteps. He dashed too and hid behind a statue. He looked in serious pain as he stared at his bloodstained hand that had been holding his wound.

"What a crime, for you not to know!" Rau accused. The teens were carefully walking in the hallways, aiming at each corner. They called Mu-san in order to find him by the sound of his voice. The EA Commander called their names too. _Kira... Yamato? He's still alive? And Seren Ledford is here too?_

"Cover that area with CNT paste!" A mechanic ordered. Another argued that if the ship was shot again in that area they were done for. "So stick an amulet or something in there and pray it doesn't get hit!" He retorted. Athrun was teaching the maintenance staff more efficient ways to do emergency repairs. The Archangel had suffered the most but the Kusanagi hadn't returned unscathed either. A unit had to hurry with the stress strain level measurements of the backup manipulator. Asagi returned and reported the presence of three Nazca-class in the shadows of the debris by the opposite harbor. Waltfeld clicked his tongue. Three Nazca-class vessels... they really meant business. Indeed, normally a formation consisted of a Nazca-class and two Laurassia-class. Kisaka asked about the Dominion but they hadn't moved. The captain of the Eternal hoped La Flaga and the others would return with information and swore again. Whose unit could it be?! Ramius answered it was Le Creuset's. That was why Mu had been able to tell, although he didn't know why he could tell... about Rau Le Creuset's presence...

"What a thrill to have you join us, Kira Yamato, Seren Ledford! I get it, so you are the pilots of the Freedom and Independence." Le Creuset cynically expressed his joy. The two youths finally found La Flaga and joined him. He was angry that they came but they couldn't just wait outside! What were they supposed to tell Murrue-san? He nudged them and called them cheeky. Seren was worried about his injury, even though he said it was nothing. The veteran soldier reminded Kira to release the safety if he truly intended to use that thing. What kids, those two... "Now don't hesitate and come with me, to the place where it all began! Kira-kun, Seren-kun, this is the place where you were born too!" At this declaration, the boy gasped in shock and the girl's eyes narrowed.

"Don't fall for his tricks! You don't have to listen to a word he says!" The Strike's pilot chided them. The three ran to a door.

"You're the one who went off to become my enemy." Yzak blamed his past friend. But Dearka didn't remember ever becoming his enemy. "Get real! You're a traitor!" The armed young man accused.

"I also don't remember ever betraying the PLANTs. I just no longer think..." Elsman remembered his meeting with Miriallia, how she tried to kill him with tears and hate in her eyes, how she saved him, how they had grown to understand each other, how she had decided to fight, not for revenge, but for her country, what she believed in, for peace, and coexistence... and also his discussion with Seren. "I no longer want to follow the army's orders to fight a war for the sole purpose of killing off every last Natural."

A door slid open. Mu, Kira and Seren took cover as bullets ricocheted against the wall close to them. They entered after a time and crouched down. They were on a cause way, looking at several tanks immersed in liquid. A monitor was above each one. La Flaga wondered what the hell those could be. Ledford deduced they were in a facility used for advanced research on the human genome. For some reason, she was starting to sweat, her hear was racing, she was feeling unwell. They walked on. But then they saw the smaller tanks with the human embryos and fetuses... She staggered and sank down on one knee. Nauseous, she clamped a hand on her mouth. Her eyes were watering. Why was she affected to this extent?! The men knelt at her side. Kira expressed his concern for her. It was just when Le Creuset shot at them. Mu covered them and shot back.

"Does it feel nostalgic, Kira-kun? You two should know this place. And you, Seren-kun... do you empathise with them? What is it like to be choking on your own guilt?" Le Creuset continued maliciously. The pilot of the Strike dashed to the partly opened door and peered inside the dark room.

"We... know this place? Guilt?" Kira muttered, incredulous, his hand on his friend's back. Seren gritted her teeth, endured, and joined La Flaga. The boy came to them too.

In the Dominion, the three biological CPUs were agonizing on their beds, watched by members of the medical personnel... and Natarle was once more arguing with Muruta. This was a situation where you normally asked for back up or temporarily retreated to regroup. Yet he refused to listen to her advice. And he found her quite persistent and annoying. If they did that, ZAFT would beat them to it. Those three would be ready soon too.

La Flaga replaced the empty magazine with a full one. Shots came from the other side of the room. When they stopped he dashed inside and hid behind a long bench but as he returned fire, a bullet grazed his arm. The childhood friends rushed in and dived behind the bench too. Seren looked at the wound.

"I won't kill you." The blonde Coordinator said as he coolly approached them. The two youths aimed at him. "I made you go through the trouble of coming all the way here. I won't kill you until you learn everything." He tossed a photograph to the ground next to them. It was a picture of that woman with the three babies! He then threw a book from which photos scattered. There was one of a blonde man of middle age with his son sitting on his shoulder and playing with a toy battle plane. They were smiling.

"Dad?" Mu whispered, shocked. That also surprised Kira and Seren.

In the Eternal, Athrun restlessly looked at the time, and then at the Justice... and decided to board it. He was tired of waiting, anxious as he was about that girl... about those two... no, those four... In the Vesalius, Captain Ades was similarly concerned about the time his Commander and Yzak were taking. Before a window, Flay was wistfully thinking about the Archangel, and holding the data disk Le Creuset had given her. _"If the key stays here, then that final door will never open." _ Aboard their respective Archangel-class ships, Murrue and Natarle too were waiting, tense.

"Aren't you curious? About where the endless desires of humans are headed? About the story of the fools who pursued a crazed dream based on their belief of progress? After all, you're children of all this too." Rau questioned with a smile. The two reacted. He had caught their attention. They would know the truth of everything.

* * *

If we can protect this endless earth, sky and sea, and those smiles, we won't fear anything and we won't need anything. That's what we thought. But it is human to be frightened. Deep inside our silent hearts, what is it that we harbour? Shards of ice that dampen our passion? Where is the meaning of our existence coming from? Where is it flowing to? Before we become free and whole, we must face the truth.


	43. Beyond the door

**Phase-43: Beyond the door**

"This place is a forbidden, sacred area... the remains of a dream seen by fools who believed themselves to be gods. Did you know, that your parents were not your real parents?" Rau questioned. Kira gasped as he thought about Haruma and Caridad Yamato, the couple who had always loved and raised him. "Ah, apologies, Seren-kun, for you I should say 'late parents'... you have my sincerest condolences." He smirked. The girl glared at him, doing her best to keep calm and not pull the trigger at that devious bastard and burn his oily, blabbering, badmouthing tongue... especially when she'd recall her mother, her last moments with her father, the explosion of the military facilities of Onogoro Island, and her father's letter.

"Bastard! What are you-" But Mu couldn't finish as he was forced to duck when his rival shot towards him.

"I did know. But what about it? And what do you know about us?" The girl barked. Right, they were here to gather information, and that man seemed to know much more than a normal ZAFT officer should. And it was true that after that letter, she had thought a lot about it and started preparing herself to accept the truth, whatever it could be.

"But from the looks of it, you must have learned it quite recently. And Kira-kun, I'd say you had no idea about it." He deduced from Yamato's lost expression and trembling hands. And he was right too. It was true that the matter of their origins had been secondary, but it was also true that it was like a boil, and the pain it caused kept reminding you of its existence. And unlike Seren who's one to lance it, Kira was the type to cover things, take pain killers and ignore it... "Or you wouldn't have turned out the way you did. You wouldn't have turned out so normal, with no sign of a tainted past! It never occurred to me when Athrun first brought up your names, that you were those children. I had assumed that the triplets had died, especially you two. Along with your real father Doctor Hibiki, you were the biggest targets of Blue Cosmos at the time after all. But you survived, grew up, threw yourselves into the war, and are still alive. Why could it be? You've led even me to want to believe in their crazy dream."

"I... what are we? What do you say we are?! What are you trying to tell us?!" Kira stammered, losing his grasp on himself.

"You are the dream of humanity: the Ultimate Coordinators." Le Creuset asserted. The children gasped. "It was Doctor Hibiki who created the artificial womb. And you two were the only successful births that resulted. His children... at the cost of his other children." He calmly accused their existence of standing on mountains of corpses. They shrunk back in horror. They had seen a number on the monitors above those cuves. Over 54 000 experiment subjects... For them... over 54 000 lives had been sacrificed? He took advantage of their agitation and dulled reflexes to fire but La Flaga saved them and shot back. The ZAFT soldier hid. The teens stood up and walked away like they only had half a mind. Mu held his wound and followed them... scolding them for taking that guy's nonsense seriously. They went down the stairs. But even though the teens' minds tried to deny that person's words, why were their hearts so readily accepting them?

Asagi, Mayura and Juri were piloting their Astrays and guarding the Kusanagi... and sharing their apprehension about their current predicament... What were they supposed to do with three Nazca-class vessels behind them? And it would be difficult to fight those machines from the Dominion with their M1s too!

In the Eternal, since even Seren and Kira were so late, Athrun wanted to go to them, despite having told Seren he wouldn't. It was not that he didn't trust her, but he was too worried to keep still. He asked for permission to take off, and was turned down by Lacus. She told him to remain on stand-by until further orders. He protested. They were faced with a situation where four units didn't return. Something must have happened. He should go see and help. But Clyne disagreed: all the more reason for him to stay. They could not afford to carelessly reduce their fighting strength more than that. They didn't know when the Dominion would attack again. Even if Kira and the others didn't return, they must still continue to fight.

"Lacus Clyne, Commander Waltfeld, and Athrun too?" Yzak said. Elsman confirmed. "Why, Dearka?! Why?!"

"Today, I shall reveal my secret." Le Creuset declared. He passed by a photograph of Georges Glenn and repeated his words while La Flaga cursed him under his breath and tried to make the children snap out of it. "'I was not born naturally, like a normal human being. I was genetically modified early in the embryonic stage.' Georges Glenn was humanity's first Coordinator. Do you have any idea how the chaos he caused spread darkness throughout the world? Do you know what people started doing after that?" He felt about in the dark for the switches on the wall and turned them on one by one, lighting the place... the medical rooms, the surgery rooms, the cupboards full of chemicals, the machines, the derelict waiting area... that had once been pretty and full of people...

_The future parents wanted to choose the color of their child's hair, eyes, skill, the shape of the eyes, ears... or to inherit their talent in the same areas. Of course, the doctors comforted them in their opinions. Advanced abilities were a gift to a child for a child's future. However, those highly advanced operations, touching such a delicate things as the genes, and for such precise changes cost no less but a fortune given its complexity. And because of its complexity, the results could not be guaranteed. The mother's body was natural, so of course it would influence the growth of the embryo. The mothers were advised to be careful about their nutritional intake, and were followed up by medical staff. But still, there were miscarriages, or the child was different from what they had wanted it to be, like a wrong eye color. And they raged and complained like clients who had commanded a computer to be made of specific parts and the company used a different part... It was at that time Ulen Hibiki had decided to remove the woman's body, the most uncertain factor, from the equation, and create the artificial womb._

"It's a dream people brought at a great price, so of course they wanted it to come true. Nobody ever wants their dream to be destroyed." Rau continued. "Is that what drove them onward? Because people labeled this their dream and demanded it come true?"

_Doctor Ulen Hibiki and his wife, Doctor Via Hibiki were supervising an experiment, which was again about to end as a failure. He ordered to increase the power of the machine's filtration system. The subject's pulse increase, the blood pressure increased to 200... Kira Yamato had the same eyes and hair (only shorter) as hers. Seren had the same face and hair, although slightly shorter, and with a bit more volume. But Seren's eyes were the same color as Ulen's. Via begged her husband to stop it with tears in her eyes. That wasn't just some thing! It was a life! Ulen grabbed his wife. He had the exact same hair and eye color as Cagalli's. He knew it was a life! That was exactly why he had to complete this! Via retorted a life was meant to be BORN into this world. It wasn't supposed to be manufactured! _

"What have people gained from it?! What have they grasped?! What lies beyond this dream?!"

_"Give them back! Give my other children back to me!" Via cried. _

_"They're my children! I'll use the ultimate technology to make them the Ultimate Coordinators! And if my experiments on the girl succeed, she'll assimilate the properties of the artificial womb, she might even become the key to any sterility problems that could happen in the future! She'll be the Ultimate Mother!"_

_"For whose sake? For your sake?!" She shot back. In the same time, Anti-Coordinator groups such as Blue Cosmos were growing more and more active. The genetically enhanced beings, labelled as 'un-human' started being murdered, exterminated... 'For the preservation of the blue and pure world'... and the Coordinators were forced to take refuge in neutral countries like Orb, or in the space colonies PLANTs. "The Ultimate Coordinators? The Ultimate Mother? Is that supposed to bring these children happiness?!"_

_"Humanity has progressed to this day, always longing to improve things! Because with improvement comes happiness!" Ulen retorted. He ignored his wife's strong protests and still went along with the project. Via withdrew and could only watch helplessly and cry as her husband experimented on their own children and toyed with their lives like the apprentice of a magician, or of god. She held onto her last baby, Cagalli, still in her belly. _

"At first people were curious to learn about something, then they became eager to obtain it, and then, forgetting why they wanted it, they toyed with life, claiming it was precious as they destroyed it!" Le Creuset declaimed.

Kira and Seren were still despondent despite La Flaga's attempts to shake them out of it. Their eyes narrowed in suffering when they remembered Flay's words, tone, and expression of disgust and loathing of Coordinators that were still deeply and painfully carved into their hearts... Seren recalled the one who had killed her mother. There was Artemis too, all those marches of protests against genetic modification, the kind of people who composed the Earth Alliance and accused the Coordinators of plunging the world into chaos... But there were also people like Patrick Zala who believed Coordinators to be a new species onto themselves, different from Naturals... Mu and Rau engaged in a shootout.

"No matter what we know, no matter what we've obtained, it won't make a difference!" His speech and voice were growing more and more passionate, violent, fierce, intense. He shot the chemicals, the monitors, the instruments... "People are amazing. They grow envious, hate each other, and then kill each other!" Patrick Zala had voiced his hope that with the attack on the Earth Alliance HQ, the war would come to a quick end and lead to true freedom, justice and independence... while they were decimating the Naturals... just like the Blue Cosmos executives who had put the Cyclops system in place and activated it, thus sacrificing countless people of their own, to completely wipe out the Coordinators had also hoped for a quick end to this war by this.

But then, Seren recalled how Miriallia and Tolle had supported them countless times, how he had been killed by Athrun, how despite that she, Kira and Athrun were still friends and comrades fighting for the same future, how Miriallia had tried to kill Dearka believing he was the one who had killed Tolle, how now Milly and Dearka were growing close, how Waltfeld-san and his men who they had fought with their life on the line were now their ally too, same for everyone on the Archangel, Lacus, Cagalli... Was it really a sin for them to be alive? To wish to live? Were humans truly that hopeless? No, she didn't think so!

"Then we should all keep killing until we're satisfied! If that's what we're wishing for!"

"What's with you, acting so high and mighty?!" The former EA officer snarled, his bullet severing strands of Rau's hair. The ZAFT commander shot the cables holding a heavy metal structure, dropping it close to La Flaga who shielded himself from the debris, smoke, and dust, and reloaded his gun.

"Then who are YOU?! And what gives you the right to decide that?!" Seren yelled back. She was recovering... or at least for now, hanging onto a thin spider thread, and hoping that her friends would make it stronger and help her up.

"I have that right! And I'm the only one in the universe who has it! I have the right to pass judgement on all of humanity!"

"Cut the bull, you bastard!" Mu shouted. Seren glared. Even Kira reacted to that statement.

_Al Da Flaga, a powerful, ambitious, and wealthy politician conspired with Professor Ulen Hibiki to create clones of himself. Direct human cloning was illegal but Al, arguing that laws, as they were enforced by humans, would change with time and believing that his own wealth and influence put above those laws, convinced Hibiki in exchange for the research funds for his Ultimate Coordinator project. They had attained this technology with great effort, they'd got to put it to use. _

"Don't you remember, Mu? We met once, long, long before we ever met on the battlefield."

"What?"

_"Is this really me?" Da Flaga wondered looking at the baby that would be called Rau La Flaga. It was lying in a sort of large cylindrical incubator. The year was CE 46. "Nevermind. In any case, it will succeed me, never that woman's child." Because his son, Mu, had been weakened by his inferior mother's DNA, he had become a good for nothing. On the other hand, Rau's genes had been modified to make him a Coordinator. __Also, he he had been born with short telomeres within his DNA that caused him rapid aging problems. It had been done intentionally, so that he could catch up to Mu in age and replace him. And this also forced him to take a drug that stabilized his aging._ _Al told the nurse to keep a close eye on Rau and educate him well so he wouldn't become like that idiot. And then Al Da Flaga and his wife died in the burning of their house. Only Mu had cried. _

"Your father, Al Da Flaga, was an arrogant fool who thought he could buy immortality." Le Creuset chuckled manianically. "And I am a defective clone of that man!" He shocked his listeners.

In the Dominion, a man reported the presence of three Nazca-class vessels at a distance of 122. Natarle noted that making the first move would put them at a disadvantage. She could not guarantee success. Despite that, Shani, Orga, and Clotho were still getting ready to board theirs units and sortie. Azrael argued that it was easy for anybody to declare the impossible as being impossible. But it was another matter to actually make things possible. Everyone knew that in the business world. The captain reminded him this was a battlefield. Failure meant death. The Blue Cosmos leader pointed out that it was the same in the business world.

"Are you one of those people who only fight battles that you know you'll win?" The young man taunted with slight disdain. Badgiruel gritted her teeth. "Although that's fine by me. When push comes to shove, you've got to do what you've got to do to be victorious. We can't remain sitting here forever, can we? Give it your best shot. Remember, nothing ventured, nothing gained." His will was quite clear from that but he still had the decency not to formulate it into an order. The biological CPUs drank their medicine and boarded the Raider, Forbidden, and Calamity.

"The Freedom's pilot is the guy who previously piloted the Strike. And the girl who pilots the Independence used to pilot the Blast." Dearka said, surprising the silver-haired friend who was aiming at him with his gun. "They're also Coordinators. They've been friends with Athrun since they were kids. And the one Athrun is actually in love with is the pilot of the Independence."

"What did you say?" Again, Yzak was shocked. An expression of pain crossed his blue eyes as he recalled Nicol's death, and when he had shaken hands with Zala, acknowledging him after he had... no, should have avenged Nicol's death and destroyed the Strike, killing its pilot, and damaging the Blast. But then he remembered how the Freedom and Independence had saved him in Alaska from the explosion of the Cyclops System... as well as that girl's words at that time...

"I'm not as devoted or resigned to this cause as those three are... but I've seen some things..." Like when Miriallia, grief-stricken, had tried to stab him to death because of what had happened to her late boyfriend. "I watched them. And I saw Alaska, Panama, and Orb. After all this, there's no way I can return to ZAFT and just battle however I'm ordered."

"Dearka!" Joule yelled, once more enraged at his friend and his refusal to return to his side.

"We'll be in trouble again if we fail this time?" Andras questioned. Buer complained about that old man using them however he wanted, but as Sabnak noted, it couldn't be helped. They were better off killing than being killed. The X131, X252 and X370 sortied and the Dominion took off. Sai and Miriallia detected their approach and warned the captain. In the Vesalius, Ades, pressed on by his subordinate, was growing frantic. Where was the Commander?! What was going on inside the colony?!

"My dad's clone?! How do you expect anyone to believe such a fairytale?!" La Flaga barked, holding his wounded side. He was sweating, panting, and reaching his limits. The two teenagers circled around to catch the enemy by surprise. Le Creuset didn't want to believe it either but unfortunately it was a fact.

"The final door is about to open. I will open it! And this world will come to an end! This world of endless ambition will end! And the conceited fools floundering in it will get what they wished for!"

"Mu-san! That won't happen!" Kira yelled, his gun empty, he dived and caught a small sharp piece of debris before running and avoiding the bullets.

"And you're just as conceited a fool to want to judge humanity! You calmly manipulate people but you're just a crazy omnicidal maniac! People can change! We'll prove that!" Seren shouted, covering for her friend. She understood that given the life he must have lived, he could believe that people were selfish creatures who'd do anything to 'get ahead'... after all, his very existence was the direct result of human hubris. But that wasn't a reason to wipe out every single human! She shot and deeply grazed Rau's right shoulder. Yamato hurled his piece of debris that removed Le Creuset's mask. The pilots of the Archangel were stunned. He had the same blue eyes as Mu's, and his features were so similar too... He glared at them.

"What do you think you can do about it?! Nobody can stop it, that whirlpool of hatred is spreading across space!" Le Creuset raged and ran away. Mu collapsed. The two young Coordinators ran to him.

The Justice, Blast, and Astrays launched. Rayner instructed the M1s to protect the ships. The Archangel headed out. Murrue told her crew to watch out for any movements from the Nazca-class vessels too. She ordered them to aim the Gottfrieds and load the Korinthos missiles. This time, the Eternal was also going to come out.

"Prepare to fire main cannon! Fire anti-beam depth charges! We'll crush their mother ship!" Waltfeld commanded. Athrun were heading out to meet the enemy. Rayner was coming too for support as the odds would have been a bit too disadvantageous, only one against those guys. The three EA pilots were disappointed that there was only one of the three hot shots. Well, they just had to get him quick and get rid of that other machine. Zala entered SEED mode and the fight began.

"Gottfrieds, fire!" Natarle yelled. The Dominion fired and launched Wombats at the Archangel. The white ship evaded.

The colony trembled under the assaults, making the two Red Coats sway. Yzak received a communication from Le Creuset. They were leaving. Dearka walked a few steps towards the Buster. His former ally, whom he still considered a precious friend, once more aimed at him.

"If you insist that I'm your enemy just because I'm no longer with ZAFT, then shoot me." He challenged him.

"You're being deceived!"

"I wonder which one of us is really being deceived." The blonde teen shrugged. Yzak had always been a fiercely loyal hard-head, somewhat lacking in flexibility and broad-mindedness. "I don't know for sure, but I'm going. If possible, I'd rather not fight against you." Elsman boarded his unit and took off. In the end, Joule hadn't been able to shoot. Dearka didn't consider him an enemy. They might no longer be comrades but Yzak didn't want to lose another important friend... and by his own hands... that guy didn't seem to be manipulated... and the pilot of the Duel had also seen things, notably in Panama... and there were the words of that girl in Alaska, and the matter of Athrun... and her, and that one piloting the Freedom. In the building, Kira and Seren supported Mu and slowly made their way out.

In the Archangel, Miriallia was desperately trying to get through to Dearka, Seren, Kira, and the Commander. The ship fired the Gottfried.

"Evade! Lower bow! Pitch angle 20!" Badgiruel-kanchou shouted. The Dominion dodged. The Raider launched its spherical breaker at the Justice that dodged and fired its rifle but the Forbidden intervened and the beams curved away harmlessly. Andras snorted. Sabnak yelled at them to dodge and shot his "Schlag" cannons. But he came under the fire of the Full Blast.

"Support the Justice. Can't we use the METEOR yet?" Lacus questioned. Waltfeld replied there was still another minute and a half before it was fully activated.

"We'll go around using the debris as shield! Anything on the Nazca-class vessels?" Ramius turned to Sai, but nothing yet. The Freedom, holding the wrecked Strike and followed by the Independence and Buster came out of the colony and were detected by Haw-nitohei. Yamato warned them that Mu-san was injured. They headed to the Archangel while the Duel carried Rau's damaged GuAIZ to the Vesalius.

As soon as they parked, the boy came down to see his Commander, only to find the cockpit already empty. Le Creuset hurried to his room where Flay was patiently and dutifully waiting. Groaning because of the intense pain he fumbled around his drawers for his medicine. He found it and gulped down several pills. Flay stared, shocked, her eyes wide until she finally snapped out of it and floated to him, worried. He seemed to be suffering beyond imagination. He took another mask he fastened on his face and called Ades. The ZAFT Commander ordered him to get the Vesalius moving and ready the mobile suits for deployment, and instruct the Heusinger and Helderton to do the same.

"But..."

"We can't just sit here and watch now, can we?! We cannot let the Earth Forces get their hands on those machines!" Rau snarled back, his tone unusually pressing and offensive, in all senses of the term. "I'm going out too! Get me a CGUE! I'll go up to the bridge shortly!" With a trembling hand, he lowered the button and ended the communication. He straightened up and breathed hard for a time, cooling down. Then he smirked and finally turned to Flay. "Now, I'll have you assist me. This is my final gamble. On whether or not the door will open..." He trailed off with a hint of malice. The girl fearfully looked up at him.

Rayner could easily keep the Calamity busy with skilful maneuvers and good shots but was unable to deal significant blows or get close. Athrun threw his beam boomerang that was parried by the Forbidden's Heavy Scythe. To avoid the "Mjolnir" mace, he detached the Fatum-00 he used as a support unit and fired his rifle in the same time. The Raider sidestepped the Fatum but was grazed from behind by the Independence's "Apus" plasma beam cannons. Seren had come straight to his help.

"Athrun!" The girl entered SEED mode and her "Antares" anti-ship sword clashed with the "Nidhogrr" scythe of the X252 after having dodged its arm-mounted machine guns. She avoided its plasma induction cannon and retaliated by firing her "Vega" rail cannons and CIWS guns.

"Seren!" Zala yelled back. The Freedom soon entered the fray and took over fighting the Calamity while the Blast fell back to support them. Kira parried the beams with his beam saber. Athrun evaded the X370's mouth-mounted cannon and Seren the curving beams of the Forbidden. Dearka had also come to help and shot his rifle whose beam was deviated by the Geschmeidig Panzer system. The Freedom fired at the Raider that struck back with its 2-barreled hyper velocity shield cannon. The Calamity shot its "Scylla" multi-phase cannon and two "Shlag" beam cannons. In the Archangel, Sai reported the movement of the Nazca-class, distance 80, Blue, Delta, while La Flaga was being treated in the infirmary. Meantime, the Eternal was also under enemy fire. The vessel shook. Lacus and Andrew gritted their teeth. But soon, Rayner came to their help and detonated the missiles with his CIWS guns, cluster bombs, Vulcan gun and rifle. Seren's "Apus" cannons shot the Calamity and she stayed with Athrun, allowing Kira to go and support the Eternal. The Freedom fired all its weapons, destroying the missiles. The Dominion had also detected the approach of the Nazca-class battleships, surprising Natarle and Azrael.

In the Vesalius, Flay had been made to wear a cosmonaut suit and was now being forced into a life pod. Frightened, whimpering, she obeyed. The ZAFT soldiers were wondering what they were planning to do with that girl, but it was surely some sort of plan thought up by the Commander. Flay closed her eyes and recalled Le Creuset's words... _"I'm very tired too, so please deliver this key to the final door for me. If that key makes it to the hands of the Earth Forces, the war will end."_

"I would like the attention of those on the Archangel-class Earth Forces vessel! I'd like to return a captive to you before we begin battle." The blonde ZAFT officer declared with his usual knowing, mysterious, and foreboding smile. Natarle and Azrael looked at each other quizzically.

* * *

Our hearts waver but we don't avert our eyes from the truth. We muster the courage to gather up those broken pieces and set your sights on tomorrow... The destination is darkness, but we're seeking the light. The world is still violently dreaming of tranquillity. We must bind our strength and resolution together because if we don't keep running, we won't have a future, because if we don't continue to struggle, nothing will begin.

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**Author's note: Okay, 5 chapters left ^^. Hmm... It's been an awfully long while since this story last had reviews... :s It feels lonely. Oh well. By the way, I'm curious to know why the chapter 36 has so many views compared to the other chapters. I don't see anything particular in the content to explain it. The human mind is a mystery.  
**

**And I apologize for any spelling or grammar errors. I might have checked a bit too fast and missed some... not too many I hope.**

**The poll has reached a standstill at 10 votes for a few months (4 for GS, 4 for YYH, and 2 for Avatar). I was hoping for a more burning battle :( **


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